


Goddesses Through Time

by RayLoz47



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:14:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 29,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23518252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RayLoz47/pseuds/RayLoz47
Summary: Princess Zelda wakes up sometime in the distant future, not knowing where she is. The world around her is very different. She was set to go on a Grand Tour - to visit the races of Hyrule and establish relationships with the people of her realm. Now that she has awoken in a strange time, she realizes that something went terribly wrong. With the help of a few new friends, will she find a way to save her old Hyrule?All the while, Azalea, who doesn't know her ties to the princess in her history books, wakes up very much disoriented in the woods. She finds herself in the wrong time and although the world around her looks familiar, things are definitely not as they should be. How is she going to get back home before the Great War begins?





	1. Whose Horse is this?

**Author's Note:**

> My thoughts towards a fanfic is that you can either change the content and keep the story, or you can change the story and keep the content. I did the latter. My story is a time-travel journey for Princess Zelda as well as a long time descendant of hers by a different name. This story is set along the same map as The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and set somewhere in the Child Link Timeline. Although princess Zelda is my protagonist, many characters from many of the Legend of Zelda games shall make an appearance. Try combining Outlander with Harry Potter and mix it together with a ton of Legend of Zelda. 
> 
> This work was 100% written for my own amusement. It had been started, put down, and taken back up numerous times over the past 10 years. I understand that many people may read and share criticism of my interpretation. I welcome feedback and post because I would like to know what people, who play the series, think of my interpretation. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I have while writing it.

When she woke up, she was lying flat on her back. Not the usual way she slept. Which could have explained the nightmare she was having. But something else wasn't right - she was outside. Also, not where she typically slept. Fully clothes she sat up and found herself in an unfamiliar wooded area. A horse was nearby, grazing. She thought to herself that was good luck, for even though she wasn’t an equestrian, she had taken lessons as a kid.

Something struck her odd about the horse – it was covered in odd trappings. As if it was on its way to a parade or a renaissance themed tournament. She noticed her own apparel was odd. She was wearing a very elegant riding costume – what she thought was a costume from near five hundred years back. A great woolen gray cloak sat on her shoulders. These things weren’t new but fit to her like she had been wearing them for days. 

The last thing she had remembered was sliding into her own bed back in her bedroom. Her bedroom was in the west wing of the university where the staff kept to themselves. The university sat on the outskirts of the city amidst the old ruins of a broken-down castle that supposedly held the Royal Family many centuries past. Rain began to fall which brought her back to her current situation. She stood unsteadily on her feet. Which were in rough worn riding boots of a fine leather. ‘great craftsmanship’ she thought to herself while wiggling her toes.  
“Where in the world am I?” Azalea said to herself as she did a quick survey of her surroundings. She was in a wooded area. Not the dense forest of the lost woods which her gran had joked with her about as a kid. Stories of great live skeletons and pranking imps that inhabited the ‘lost wood’. “Little girls who find themselves in The Lost Woods never find their way out! The adults become Stalfos, everybody Stalfos!” She would say in warning. Gran was rather a nut.  
She “tcked tcked’ to the horse and it looked up at her.  
“That’s a good horse. Do you know where we are supposed to go?” The horse looked at her and walked towards her like it knew who she was and what she had asked.  
“Alright then. Will you let me get on?” She let the horse sniff her hand before grabbing the saddle and pulling herself up. The horse walked to one of the winding paths and began following it. She traced the elegant edging of the saddle. It had a distinctive crest and filigree that she knew. She had seen it previously at the university. Relief and curiosity had filled her as to how she had ended up with this fancy saddle from the university. Much more, in some strange woods with a horse at all. While walking thru the forest, Azalea kept vigilant while taking in as many details as she could. 

The rain was coming down harder and faster – and in bigger drops. The hooded cloak was soaked making her hair and clothes feel damp. Eventually the path curved and the woods thinned out until she found a clearing. Great rolling hills were all around her for miles. Luckily the path she was on joined another, much larger path that looked suspiciously like a dirt road where -certainly not cars- but perhaps wagons and other horses had traveled. It was starting to get dark when she spotted two lone individuals walking about the same path. She called out to them,  
“Hello there!” She yelled. They both stopped and turned. A man and women walking along together garbed much like she was but in clothing that wasn’t quite so fine.  
“Something we can do for you miss?” The man addressed her.  
“I am sorry to bother you but I am not sure where I am or where I am headed.”  
“Well stick to this path and you’ll find yourself in Ordon. Not but another league. Afraid we won’t make it there by nightfall but you should with that steed of yours.” Well then. She knew Ordon. Ordon City was a small farming town. Her friends had called it a ‘hick’ town with its lack of shopping or nightlife. But boasting the benefits of surrounding farms the market had good food to buy and interesting goods to look at.  
“I guess I will start there. Thank you!” Azalea waved away to the couple and cantered away. 

If Ordon was only a few miles from where she was now, that would mean the University was only about fifty leagues away. What typically took two hours by car would probably take a day on horseback. What Azalea couldn’t figure out is where was she, being this close to Ordon and not seeing a single road, or hearing road noise at all. Something wasn’t right.She didn’t go more than a mile before she spotted more travelers up ahead. Two men on horseback with torches were riding towards her. 

“There you are! We knew we should not have let you ride ahead of us.” Both men were dressed in plated armor. One looked very relieved to see Azalea, the other dead set on chastising her like a child.

“Excuse me, do I know you?” she asked indignantly. ‘Now that I know where I am going, why should I trust either of these men.’ She thought to herself. 

“Good Lord princess. Your father would have our heads if we had lost you. Considering the state of this world, you may be safe to wander and travel as you’d like but you are still royalty and that warrants some caution!”  
She gaped at them. Princess. Royalty? Was this some joke? What were these men playing at?  
Her father was the Headmaster of the University which gave her certain freedom over the grounds. But never did she see it as a position of power. She grew up there and knew more about the grounds and the buildings than most. Some of the staff would jest that she was a princess of sorts but never so blatantly. 

“Alright you win. What business would I, the princess, have in Ordon then?” She inquired quite dourly. 

“Well your highness, that is where your journey begins.” The other soldier spoke as if she was dim.  
‘your highness’ she thought. What the hell was going on? Who the hell were these clowns? Once she got to Ordon she would call a car to take her back home. That was the only journey she cared about going on. 

“Lead the way then sirs. To Ordon.” They both nodded and then took a spot on either side of her as if to protect her from something. 

“What have you been getting up too?” The first soldier asked. 

“I decided to take a nap in the woods.” She said innocently. The other shook his head at her. 

“Well you were expected there for midday meal and missed your appointment. The Chatelaine was rather upset. She was already not keen on us for taking her best farmhand into service. I expect you won’t be a welcome sight looking half drowned and near six hours late.” 

“What Chatelaine is this?” she asked. For she didn’t know of any Chateaus worth mentioning in Ordon. A good many wealthy people kept country estates in the land surrounding Ordon but she didn’t know any personally. 

“Beth Barouse. Of Chateau Barouse. Her Chateau puts out one of the finer crops of grape from which comes the wine at your table.” Azalea was at a loss. She knew the wines that came out of Ordon. She did not know who this woman was. Barouse was not a name she knew. 

“Your father will have to bestow some sort of honor to her. Or pay tenfold to keep from getting shut off from her wine stores. We will stay the night at the Inn. We can go back in the morning after she has had a night to cool down. Then we can make our excuses and get on with our tour.” 

‘Tour of what exactly?’ Azalea thought to herself. And where was there an Inn? Were these men talking about a hotel? There were a few shabby ones in Ordon but why would they stay? And why did she have to make pleasantries with wine makers for her father’s sake?

The road they were on, forked off into a few directions, but the route they took brought them to an archway of trees which led them alongside a steep cliff face. They crossed a sturdy suspended bridge and found themselves at a tall wooden gate. The gate stood open to a stable yard, and beyond that a decent sized village of buildings made with timber. The village was hidden off behind the cliff face.  
Noises filled the air as a blacksmith was pounding on his anvil. Men and women were bustling thru the village despite the rain. Horses whinnied in their damp stalls and street vendors were calling out to people passing by. Darkness had fallen and pitch torches were being lit under the eaves of the buildings.  
The soldiers dismounted and one came around to help Azalea off her horse.

“I thought you said we were set for Ordon!” She claimed as he offered her a hand.

The soldier chuckled “and where does it look like we are your highness? Come out of the rain.” Panic swept over her. She allowed herself to be helped from the horse and stood there inspecting the area.  
The Ordon she knew had roads. Storefronts of bakeries, butchers, and flower shops. Cars drove on the streets and there were signs and street lights. Adrenaline surged as she followed the soldiers. They paid to have their horses stabled for the night and led Azalea into what looked like a tavern.

Azalea could hear boisterous activity inside and could smell roasted meat. It had been several hours since she awoke in the glade and realized how hungry she had become during the journey.  
When they walked into the Inn, many stopped their conversations and looked their way. Not many men wore plate armor as well maintained and adorned as Azalea’s two guards, which drew attention. One of the two soldiers said something to the inn keep and passed him a sack of what Azalea took to be coins or whatever currency they were using. He led them to a table in the furthermost corner of the alehouse and the inn keep brought over a bowl of hearty beef stew and a loaf of bread. A bar maid brought over three large mugs of a dark ale. 

“You’re not hungry?” Azalea asked as she began scooping stew into her mouth.

“No. we ate before we set out to find you.” 

“Just so I am clear,” she started “what year is this?”  
“It is 1382 your highness. Twenty-two years past your birthyear. Isn’t it?”  
“So, I was born in the year 1360?” She did the math slowly. But that wasn’t right. Azalea was born nearly 700 years later in 2060.  
“Yes, your highness. I remember it like it was yesterday. Her highness Goddesses rest her soul was the age you are now actually. She had you in the wee hours of the morning. I was a new soldier. Just training.  
Azalea tried not to react, but the stew lurched in her stomach. She quickly washed it with some ale and finished her mug. She beckoned for the bar maid to bring her another. Somehow, she had jumped 700 years into the past and had taken over the life of the Princess of Hyrule. If Azalea was here, then where was the princess?  
Azalea had quickly tried to think back to her history lessons. Tales of the great war that ravaged the kingdom. The dark lord coming to power. The banishment of the other races. She knew that had happened several hundred years ago. Had it already happened? Or had it yet to start?  
“The Gorons… are they real?” She started to ask the older of the two soldiers.  
“Well of course they are! You know that. Part of this tour was to go visit them. Your father wants you to be known all over the land. To make connections early on so that when you rule you will have allies.”  
“And the Gerudo?” she asked cautiously.  
“We plan to approach the desert and see their sanctuary for ourselves. We are going to approach cautiously less they try something. Friendly they are with us... but your father does not altogether trust them.”  
“I see.” She said bleakly. So, the war hadn’t transpired yet. She traveled from one peaceful Hyrule to another but she knew the time in between had seen monsters, trauma, and devastation to all those in Hyrule. She knew she needed to get home before these ordeals began. Or try to put a stop to it herself.  
The Gerudos. This had started with them. But had their dark lord been born yet? At what point should she tell these soldiers about him? Or could she tell them at all without disrupting the future?


	2. After ~ Talking Boats

When Zelda awoke, she was in a Library. It was quite grand and was very much like her library where she studied everything from apothecary to languages. She was shocked to find her legs bare. She was in a short pleated skirt and a soft white shirt with brown buttons up the front. Her stockings were short which she thought rather odd. 

She had been laying on a chaise lounge surrounded by open books. The Library was dark aside from a light sitting on a desk. Zelda got off the chaise and tiptoed to the light. She found it rather strange that there was no flame within the light. She touched her hand to the orb and found it was warm. That was something she hadn't seen before. Magic perhaps- she thought to herself. 

She looked at a number of books sitting around the desk and saw something else peculiar. A book had been titled 'Women of Hyrule's History' and when she opened it, it had been stamped with a date that looked like 1974. 

Now that couldn't be right-she thought. For one thing, the only famous women in Hyrule's history would be queens and leaders around the land and surely there couldn't be so much useful information about them to have filled up a book of this size. But also, 1974 was quite a way off from her current time. She had learned legends of time travel but they were just that. Legends. Legends that mostly involved a sword or some other totem that helped aid one through time. No one just woke up in a different year. She surmised that it could explain her manor of dress, and the strange glowing orb. 

Just then the Library door began to open. Zelda ducked behind a desk as a very decrepit and elderly man came hobbling into the Library. He met her eye over the desk unsteadily. 

"Oh! My dear! I am so sorry to have scared you!" He exclaimed apologetically. Zelda saw him as no threat and so she stood to her full height and said. "No need to be sorry sir. But please help me for I am not sure where I am." 

"Very funny my dearest girl. But alas you have no need to play dumb with me. I have no reservations about you using this Library. Being Headmaster's daughter has its privileges no doubt."

"Headmaster's daughter?" Zelda asked inquisitively. 

"We were so grateful when your father took his post here when you were a babe. The University was in such a state of disrepair. Poorly managed you see. Students leaving to go abroad. Hyrule had such a rich history and the land has changed so much. It is left to us to remind our people of the histories and learn how to pave the best way forward. " He spoke with a twinkle in his eye. Zelda liked this old man. He reminded her very much of her own soothsayer, Gaebor. 

"What is your name sir?" She asked. 

"Funny child. You would not forget your old friend Rauru. Best we be off to the dining hall for it is almost dinnertime. I wonder what chef has in store for us." He smiled and offered her his arm. 

"Perhaps I am to change first." She looked down at her bare thighs and felt self-conscience. Attending a meal with an old man with exposed thighs and no shoes. Certainly, that wouldn't be fit for any woman of any time. 

"We are on holiday my dear. No once cares of your uniform; I see that you wear it anyhow. I don't expect the hall will have more than the two of us, your father, and whatever staff as remained here for their holiday. Perhaps chef will have made too much custard tart and we shall have the bounty to ourselves." He gave her a wink as she took his arm and they exited the Library together. 

"The library's double doors closed on them as they came out into a grand corridor. Marble floors and arched ceilings followed them as they strolled, passing classroom after classroom. All empty. There were small lighted orbs hanging from the ceiling. 

"Are they alighted by magic?" She asked him. 

"Ah, electricity is quite a magic all of its own. Science dear is just magic that follows the rules. Magic is hardly used at all being that most the Magi were once sought out to be banished or eliminated altogether. Every once in a while, you will stumble up on someone with the sacred gift." With that he had opened his palm and produced a small flame. Zelda gasped as he put it out and he gave her another wink. She had met many celebrated Magi and was considered a novice sorceress herself. 

"Eliminated, does that mean the Magi were put to death? For what purpose?" She asked. 

"Well some of those who do not possess magic ability were very threatened by those who had it. Much prejudice was brought about and magi were discriminated against pretty sorely." 

"The King wouldn't have had that!" She exclaimed. 

"Which king do you speak of my dear? For it was one very bad king who wanted the power all to himself. He was willing to murder every last magical being to be the sole one. Certainly, you don't mean him." Rauru told her. 

"I am not sure which King you refer to." She said, feeling quite confused. For her father had many magi in his allegiance. All kings he had descended from had always used soothsayers, magi, and sorceresses to aid in their ruling.

"The great Gerudo King. The worst of them all." Is what he told her. She had learned the Gerudo legends herself. When producing a male heir among their female ranks, that male was set to rule the land. She had heard that before, but the Gerudo hadn't produced an heir in centuries. They lived off in the desert in seclusion. 

If what Rauru had told her is true, it was quite worrisome news indeed. 

"Tell me sir, what year is this?" she asked. 

"Why is is the year 2082." He told her. 

She stopped walking abruptly. 

"Are you feeling okay Azalea?" He asked her now seeing the distraught look on her face. 

She thought for a moment before muttering to herself under her breath, "700 years." 

"700 years from what?" he asked, catching her words. 

"Oh, nothing." She replied. "Tell me sir, do you know much of time travel?" 

"Time travel? I know as much about time travel as I do about talking-boats." He laughed.

“A little.” He said rather seriously but with a wink. 

Rauru went on to tell Zelda about the hero of legend who traveled 7 years into the future by pulling a sword from a stone. Zelda had heard that story herself but she hadn’t pulled any swords from any stones. Rauru also told her about the rumored ancient technology that one could be put in a deep sleep to be woken up many years later and not aged a day. That sounded more reassuring to Zelda but still pretty farfetched for what had happened to her.

As he continued to regale her on legends of time travel, they strolled arm in arm down the corridor until they found themselves at a large double door. She opened the door for him and found themselves in a great long, narrow dining hall. Most of the long oak tables were pushed up against the windows but one great table sat in the very center. About half the seats were taken up by various people. 

“Ah Azalea!”A handsome young man greeted her as she and Rauru approached the table. 

“You must sit and tell me what you have found in the library.” She was reluctant to be pulled away from her new friend Rauru by this new stranger, however, his crystalline blue eyes drew her in as he pulled a chair out for her. He sat down at her right and poured them each a glass of wine and gave her a dazzling smile. Whoever this Azalea was she was quite fortunate to have a dashing admirer. Now that Zelda took him in, he reminded her very much of one of her father’s advisers who was also her fencing teacher. 

“I am afraid I fell asleep and didn’t find anything in the Library.” She told him smartly. 

“Well an afternoon wasted it sounds like.” Was his rebuttal. He gave her a smile all the same. 

“What was it I was looking for anyway? I have quite forgotten.” She asked him point blank. His face fell. 

“You were going to help me with my research! This poor mathematician has been trying to find his bloody family history and I am not nearly as much of a bookworm as you. I would like to know if my great- great- great- grandfather fought off any Gorons or had trysts with any Zoras. Or perhaps he took flight with one of the Ritos.” He explained.

I would doubt that any hylian would have been able to convince a Rito to carry him into the sky. If they had been successful, they would not have lived to tell the tale.” She laughed at his suggestion. “I suppose it is very likely he could have been with a Zora, but hopefully he hadn’t fought off a Goron. Quite friendly they are.”

“So, you’ve met one, have you?” he asked.

“Haven’t you?” She asked. Like Rauru, he thought she was joking. 

“Why yes just the other day, one came into my office asking me to balance his bank statements.” He stabbed back with sarcasm. 

“Yeah they probably aren’t much good at rupee management.” She said back

“rupees? Is that what the Goron’s use? They would all be filthy rich if they were.” 

“What do you mean?” she asked perplexed.

“Well now that we use dollars and cents. Rupees are worth their weight. More valuable than gold, silver, or precious gemstones.” 

“hmm… how interesting.” She was taken aback for a moment. This new world was quite different. 

“So where are the Gorons if you haven’t met one?” She asked coyly.

“Well we haven't seen any evidence of them since they were banished." he told her. 

“Banished? For what exactly?” She was quite confounded.

“Well that was the agreement we made. When the Hylians and Sheikah went to war with the Dark Lord, when it became clear that we couldn't defeat him and the interlopers, our ancestors created a pact with him. As a result, the Twili were banished along with all the other races, as well as his fleet of monsters. In turn, he gave up his power and the Gerudo gave up their customs but only if we abolished our monarchy within Hyrule." He carried on casually. 

“When was this?” she asked him feeling panicked. 

"Several centuries. Most the texts have been written and rewritten over the years so we don't have all the details of what actually transpired. But what matters is that Hylians, the Sheikah, and the Gerudo have all lived harmoniously ever since."

Zelda was quite perturbed. Dinner had been passed around and they were having what looked to be roasted chicken. Her appetite had vanished and she felt quite ill.

“Azalea! You look rather pale.” A grand looking man with a balding head and a white beard had appeared alongside the table looking at Zelda. “It is your holiday! You should be outside with your friends. Not cooped up in this old building with us boring professors!" At that Rauru looked up from his custard tart. The handsome man in front of her looked quite abashed. 

“Headmaster, we were just discussing the exciting wartime history of Hyrule.” He told him.

“That Jed, is exactly what I’m talking about.” The man exclaimed. “I don’t want my daughter sitting here wasting away at some University. Why don’t you go to the country? Or the lake region with one of your friends? Surely a trip will do you some good.” 

“Perhaps that is for the best.” She looked at this man. Her father. Or Azalea’s father. He could have passed for her own father. There was something familiar about his face. 

“I think I would like to be by myself for a little while. Perhaps someone could direct me to my lodgings.” She hung her head, feigning tiredness trying to mask her feelings of fear.  
“Of course. You know your room is in the west wing. Second floor up and last door on the left. Overlooking the gardens.” Azalea’s father sounded gravely concerned.  
Zelda was able to follow signs to find the west wing. She hurried up two grand staircases and she found another long marble floored corridor like the one by the Library. She walked all the way down to the last door to the left it had a sign on it that read Azalea N. Upon entering, there was another low light on a desk next to a balcony window. It did overlook a small garden with a variety of flowers. Those summer blooms were familiar to Zelda. She was definitely in the same Hyrule.  
Azalea had a four-poster bed covered in soft looking blankets. There was no fireplace lit which Zelda thought strange. Someone would have been by to light the fire- She thought to herself. But upon further inspection there was not even a fireplace in the room. She supposed with the glowing orb she didn’t need the light of a fire. A bookshelf was filled with a variety of different books. Zelda began perusing the covers, looking for anything that would give her a clue as to why Azalea might have wanted to travel thru time. What Zelda had concluded was that she was about 700 years in the future, and that a terrible war was going to transpire, possible during her time. Or the time of her children. She needed to find a way to get back to her time and warn them all.  
The bookshelf held many fabled fictitious love stories. There were a number of large textbooks that boasted the titles ‘Economics’ ‘Society Today’ ‘Politics and Policies’ and a worn copy of ‘Business Accounting’. A few modern history books grabbed her attention but the glossaries showed her that they only covered the last 100 years or so.  


She went to desk and started opening drawers, looking for a journal or personal notes written by Azalea. She had found a number of written pages that looked like reports from the books she had read. Nothing about urban legend or time travel. She sifted thru things for a while before collapsing onto the bed. Exhausted, she tried to remember the last thing she was doing before she woke up in the Library. She was being escorted from the Castle by her two guards. Her saddle bags were packed with travel clothes. The Tour! She was leaving the castle to visit the different provinces and regions of Hyrule. She was bound to meet with the different races and leaders of the regions to establish connections and make relationships.  


Their first stop was to be a vineyard in Ordon. Zelda had not stepped foot from the Castle, Castletown market, or Lake Hylia before in her life. Ever since her mother had passed her father had been quite protective of her. She was his only heir after all. Her magical abilities were also quite a novelty and he had wanted her to perfect her craft of not only sorcery, but archery, riding, and fencing. She had been so excited to tour the world around her. And now on a stranger’s bed in a strange time, she felt like she had been robbed of that privilege to explore. Tears forced their way out and she laid there on her back.  


‘Pull yourself together’ she told herself. ‘You are the future ruler of Hyrule. You have been trained to lead your people. To Solve problems. This is just another problem you need to solve.” She got up off the bed and found a sheet of blank parchment. There was no ink or quill but rather a stick with ink already in it. She began to make a list.  


-Find out about the war  


-Find out about the dark lord  


-Find out where the other races are.  


-Find a way to get back home.  


Mind racing, she searched Azalea’s clothing for something that felt more modest. She settled on a pair of black wool leggings, similar to some of her riding breeches and a soft warm ivory sweater. She grabbed the ink stick along with a blank journal and headed back to the library.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I went back to polish up this chapter, I realized that i wrote it amidst my second play-through of Witcher 3. I think this is where i initially got the idea of magical and non humans being discriminated against during the war. 
> 
> I am constantly on Zelda Wiki while writing to try to keep things as accurate as I can while also telling a new story. One of Ganon's names is 'Dark Lord' - I did not try to directly nab that one from Harry Potter. - just sayin.


	3. Before ~ The Chateau

Azalea had a fitful night. The soldier who had paid the innkeeper had secured their finest room for her. Despite that, she still slept on a hay stuffed pallet in a decent sized room. It had a small traveling trunk, a table and chair, and a fireplace. The rug on the floor was a nice touch too. Her two guards were in a small room together adjacent to hers. She learned their names were Lyle and Pipit. 

She listened to the rain for a good long while thinking about her history lessons. It had been some time since she had a class that covered ancient history of Hyrule. Most of what she learned had covered the 1800s and 1900s. She remembered learning about the great war. The Gerudo King dubbed the Dark Lord and his ban of interlopers and monsters went to war with the Hylians for a number of years. It was only after they came to an agreement to end the monarchy and abandon the other races that the war came to an end. She wished she had paid better attention or could remember more details. Or that she could call and talk to Jed. Even though he was only a math teacher, he took a liking to history and often retained many useful bits of knowledge. 

Finally, Azalea had nodded off. She was woken up by Pipit who was the younger of the two soldiers. 

“Princess, I have some breakfast for you before we make our way to the Chateau.” 

She reluctantly lifted herself out of bed and wrapped herself in the heavy cloak which was thankfully dry. She had hung her damp clothes by the fire to dry. The fire had long gone out. She opened the door for Pipit who came and set a plate of cheese, bread, and grapes on the table. 

“We shall leave for the Chateau as soon as you are ready” he nodded to her. She nodded back and he left the room again. She dressed, ate, and soon joined the two men down in the tavern. In the light of day, the tavern wasn’t quite so crowded but a few weary travelers sat and ate their meager breakfasts. 

She followed her escorts out into the village square towards the stables. Azalea could see it was still very early in the morning. A light fog hung around the forest’s edge and Ordon had a sleepiness to it. Once they mounted their horses, they continued thru the village and down a winding country lane. They passed groves of pear trees, and orchards of apple trees. There were sprawling fields with grapevines and meadows of grazing goats alongside the path. Azalea took it all in and the plants and trees did remind her of the times she had visited Ordon. 

After what had felt like a thirty minute ride, they stopped at the base of a hill with a stone archway. A decorated sign that said Barouse Chateau hung from the archway. The great manor house was all in stone with a slated roof. A small veranda from an upstairs room overlooked the small yard. 

From outside they could hear a women’s shrill voice inside house. ‘The chatelaine was a very handsome woman’ Azalea thought as the woman floated out of the entryway. She had olive skin and dark hair. She looked to be maybe only ten years Azalea’s elder. She was tall and slender and had a rather devious look stuck on her face. Her bodice was extremely lowcut to Azalea’s surprise. It accentuated the swell of her breasts and left the men in her company staring at her wantonly. Azalea surmised that Beth Barouse rather liked the attention. 

“Your Highness!” She shouted out to Azalea’s company before she dropped into a low curtsy. “You are very welcome to our little Chateau here in Ordon! Please come in for some wine.” Azalea expressed her gratitude before apologizing for the previous day’s delay.

“My horse threw a shoe you see. After I took a more scenic route. Put me half a day back I am afraid.” Lyle smiled at Azalea’s fast thinking for a proper excuse. She followed the Chatelaine into the house and into an ornately decorated parlor adorned with fresh flowers. 

“You poor dear. But alas you are here now. Some wine please!” Azalea thought it much too early for wine but accepted the glass all the same and took a sip. Eager to play the role she remarked at how delicious it was and that her father would absolutely love it. 

“But certainly, he does! And how is your wonderful father, our gracious king?” Beth Barouse pouted her lips and fluttered her eyelashes when mentioning the king. 

“He is well, thank you. He was in fine health when we parted ways.” Azalea told her

“How marvelous. I must make a trip up to see him! Please let him know that he is always welcome to come stay here and take pleasure in our superior wines.” Azalea thought to herself that this woman would probably do just about anything to sink her claws into the king of Hyrule. 

“I will tell him as soon as we get back to the castle.” At the word castle, Beth’s eyes grew large and she leaned into Azalea as if about to tell her a secret. 

“This may be out of line. But is your father close to anyone? Has he a companion or has he made mention of marrying again?” Beth asked with a wink. Azalea gave her the biggest smile she could and gave her a flat, resilient, no accompanied with an airy laugh. Brazen was a word that best described Beth. Azalea could tell she was masking her disappointed but soon recovered and went back to her devious expression. 

At that moment a young man opened the door and came striding into the parlor. He looked like he had just woken up from sleeping in a barrel of hay. He had hay sticking out of his straw-colored hair. He was bare chested wearing only a pair of breeches and his heavy work boots.

“Ah there you are my boy! Here a princess has come to whisk you away from me!” Beth cried as if in anguish over losing a simple farm hand. Beth elbowed Azalea in a friendly way and said in barely a whisper “he is exquisite” before giving her an obvious wink. Azalea smiled all the same but wasn’t quite sure what the chatelaine meant. The young man dropped to his knee and bent his head. He stayed that way for a long moment not saying a word. He then stood and exited the door without turning his back to them. 

“He will make a fine soldier and will be a great service to you, I am sure.” 

“Thank you.” Azalea said with some uncertainty. She wasn’t sure why this boy among any others was being specifically plucked from the Ordon province to escort a princess on her travels but then again much of this world felt foreign to her. Just then Lyle came into the parlor.

“Princess, we must be on our way shortly.” 

“Oh nonsense.” Said Beth taking her arm like they were the best of pals. “Perhaps you would like to tour the vineyard first. You only just arrived! She led her out into the yard and started steering her toward a nearby field. They carried on for another 15 minutes or so while Beth went over the varieties of grapes and other crops they grew throughout the year. Azalea listened politely while asking basic questions to feign her interest. 

Eventually Lyle had come and steered them back into the direction of the horses. Before parting, Beth had gifted Azalea with a fine bottle of wine. She also pulled her precious farmhand into tight embrace before kissing him right on the mouth. He was wearing a linen shirt now and sheepishly turned away from her to fling himself onto his horse which carried a single saddle bag. Their party turned down the lane and started back thru the fields of grapevines. 

About the time they reached the apple orchards they heard shouting behind them. They stopped to see a young red-haired woman running as fast as she could down thru the orchards.

“Link! Don’t Go!” She was in complete hysterics. Azalea could hear Link make an indistinguishable sound of frustration. He pleadingly held a finger up to Lyle asking for a minute. 

“We can give you a minute.” Lyle told him sternly. Azalea watched as Link expertly rode over to her and dismounted. She was obviously a worker from the Chateau. Her simple dress was in a muted blue color. Azalea could see tears streaming down her freckled face. Straw was sticking out of her hair as well. Rather than embracing her, Link brushed the hair off her face and wiped her tears from her cheeks. He spoke to her in hushed tones. He kissed her forehead as she nodded and then the two kissed amorously. 

Azalea wanted to look away but couldn’t. She had boyfriends before, boys and men who had flitted in and out of her life but never anyone she would run at full speed down a dusty country lane to stop from leaving. 

They broke apart and Link got back on his horse and started to ride back to their party. All the while that red-haired girl stared back at Azalea with a look of hatred and disdain. The party turned back and went on their way towards the village of Ordon.

‘I wonder if Beth Barouse knows about the freckled red-haired girl’ she thought to herself. One thing was sure. If she made it back to the castle, she wasn’t planning to tell the King anything about Beth or her Chateau. 

They carried on for some time. Azalea cast curious glances towards the new member of their party and wondered about him. The name Link did hold some meaning. It was often the name associated to the Hero of Time in legends from long ago. Azalea picked up her pace and rode up alongside Lyle who was leading the party. 

“Who is this Link? And how did he come about joining the guard?” 

“He was an orphaned boy found in the woods near the Chateau. Back when the Chatelaine was a little girl, her parents allowed him to stay on at the farm. He was raised and brought up there.”

“And why take him on?” She asked. 

“Well, thru the years he has shown promise of being a great horseman, and quite a fighter. He has a certain daring that not even some of the most seasoned warriors show. The Chatelaine will send her men out on hunting parties and while the men come back with venison. Link will usually appear with one of the more dangerous beasts that roam the wood. A mountain lion or a bear for instance. While most men would have the sense to avoid such dangerous animals, he takes them on and defeats them alone.” Azalea was taken back and looked at Link with more reverence than once before as Lyle continued on.

“Word of his defeats traveled swiftly thru Ordon and made its way back to Castletown. The head of the guard sent a special invitation with your father’s own seal for him to join our ranks. His first order of business is to accompany us on your Tour. That way he can learn Hyrule as you are and he will train with myself and Pipit as we travel.”

Pipit had ridden alongside Link to make polite conversation and ask him about his life at the Chateau. Link however did not seem much of a conversationalist. 

As they traveled back into Ordon, Azalea tried to picture the Ordon she knew back home. The town had probably been built over a number of times from its current state. But in this moment, the three storied Tavern stood in the main part of the square facing the entrance gate. A handful of stalls stood ready for farmers or merchants to come sell their wares. On either side of the tavern were two lanes that led to many cottages spread throughout the clearing. They had expanses of herb gardens sprawling between them. Further south there was a small lake being fed by a river that wound its way into the dark woods beyond. The Ordon she remembered had a main road running through it with different niche shops. The main road had branched off into a few different small neighborhoods with farm land scattered between them. 

She thought to herself that a lot of these surrounding forests will be cleared out to make way for the town’s growth. The Lake, she surmised, must have been filled up. But there was still a river running through part of the town. She had floated in that river a few times on her summer trips to Ordon. Lyle continued leading their party out the gate and back towards where they had come in the night before. It was mid-morning when they had left Ordon behind. 

“So, which parts of Hyrule are we visiting during this tour?” She asked Lyle.

“Well the Chateau in Ordon was our first stop to get Link. Next, we are off to Kakariko where we will meet the town’s leaders. We will spend a few days there. We’ve got soldier’s barracks in town where we can outfit Link in soldier’s attire and it will give you an opportunity to spend time with some of your father’s friends there. Kakariko holds unique ties with the castle and there is much to learn there about Hyrule’s history. From Kakariko we will make our way up the mountain to meet with Darunia, the head of the Goron’s tribe.” 

Azalea jaw dropped in shock! The thought of actually meeting and spending time with Gorons when she thought them long lost or even extinct.

“After we meet with the Goron’s we will continue heading north. It’s nearly a three day’s journey to reach the foothills of the Zora’s keep. They have a large domain hidden alongside the Snow-peaked mountains. We have an outpost there which we will head for after our visit with the Zoras.” Lyle finished that and then had to think for a minute.

“After we descend from the mountains, we plan go west. The Rito are fairly new to Hyrule and have made up their nests in the canyons there. You are the first Royal to meet them and we are hoping they will be accommodating and pledge allegiance to your father. Most of our correspondence with them has had a certain curtness. They seem to be a very proud race- not unlike the Zora. We just have to win them over as allies. It will do best to tread lightly when we go.” 

Azalea was trying to do the math in her head. How long was this tour supposed to last? How exactly was she going to make the time to travel back home before the war was supposed to break out. She thought that perhaps throughout the tour she could do something to keep said war from happing. 

“Then, our last stop will be to visit the Gerudo’s sanctuary. Marvelous place it is and most certainly one of our more crucial visits. I told you last night that your father does not trust them entirely. They seem to be up to something in that hideout of theirs and we are going to try to figure out what it is.” Lyle sounded resolute. Azalea turned back to look at Link who was flanking her left side. He was watching her and nodded at her in understanding as she met his eye. Although quiet, he was taking everything in too. 

“Who ruled over the Gerudo? Who leads them?” She asked.

“Nabooris is their reigning ruler. They call her the queen amongst themselves. But of course, she is not observed as royalty by us.” 

“Are there any men among them?” 

“Not as far as we know princess. A man is born to the Gerudos very seldomly. They worship the boys and raise them to be kings. We haven’t heard of one being born in nearly a century. Gerudo’s typically only produce women seeing as they can only mate with a Hylian man. The man’s genetics are not strong enough against the Gerudos’ so most their offspring are women, and carry no characteristics of Hylians in general.” Azalea of course already knew all this having learned about it in biology back at the university. This was however not the case anymore for she knew both Gerudo men and women and many of them gave birth to boys and girls. 

‘The agreement with the dark lord.’ She slowly realized. The banishment of the other races was what they asked of us. And in turn the dark lord relinquished his selfish nature and rather than seeking everlasting life and unlimited power, he married and guaranteed his immortality by reproducing. Thus, growing and spreading the Gerudo population. 

“Well sounds like we have a busy journey ahead of us. Should we speed things up a bit?”

“Whatever you’d like your highness.” Lyle said flicking his reigns to start his mount into a gallop. The rest followed suite and soon they were speeding through the rolling field towards Kakariko Village.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beth Barouse is not supposed to be a reflection of any character within the games. I guess my inspo for her was a little bit of Telma from TP mixed with my own hopping around Beuclair in The Witcher 3. 
> 
> In the continuation of the story you will find that Link in the past is a bit of a womanizer. It seemed to me that in the different games, Link had a number of different women at his beck and call (Ruto, Illia, Mipha, Malon, etc.) just to name a few and I wanted to give him a little more edge.. he's too quiet. 
> 
> If you came here for a Zlink romance, then I am sorry to disappoint you. 
> 
> In this chapter I have laid out Azalea's storyline. She will travel around Hyrule meeting the who's who of the land. All the while she knows what's coming and is going to decide what to do with the knowledge she has... that's where my outlander inspo comes in. 
> 
> Stay tuned.


	4. After ~ The Lake

Zelda was woken up by the sound of a door slamming.

“Well here you are!” Said a women’s voice. “what are you doing in here?” 

She opened her eyes and was back in the Library. She had slept on the chaise lounge surrounded by a number of history books. Just as before. Different maps of Hyrule through the ages were spread around her on the floor. She had notes tucked everywhere. The girl speaking to her was about her age. She was tall, slender, and had pale skin of almost a bluish shade with large amber eyes and a fiery dark red mane. 

“I was just studying. And who are you again?” Zelda asked. 

“That’s a laugh! Come on we are supposed to board the train to the lake today. Next one leaves in an hour.” The girl said. 

“Train?” Zelda asked. 

“Oh, quit it Zaelea. Let’s go pack you a bag and you can tell me all about why you are studying on holiday.” She motioned for Zelda to follow her out of the library but she stood her ground. 

“I can’t come with you. I need to stay here and research.” 

“Research what exactly? It can’t be Jed’s genealogy project. You can’t be that curious about his past. Unless you really do fancy him.” The girl retorted with a sly smile.

“Well no it’s not that it’s just….” | Zelda hesitated for a moment considering. “You are my friend? Can I trust you? Can Azalea trust you?” She asked. 

“Well of course you can. Are you in some sort of trouble or something?” the girl asked in all seriousness. 

“In a way. You see I am not Azalea. I may look like her but I woke up here in this library last night and I’m… Well I’m from here but from the past. I was born over seven hundred years ago.” Zelda decided to hold off on telling her she was the princess from those days. The girl stood there stunned for a minute. 

“I suppose it isn’t impossible. I mean I’m part twili for goddesses’ sake. If anyone would believe you it would be me. You really don’t know who I am? Wait what is going on back in your time then?” The girl looked as stunned as Zelda.

“The last thing I remember was readying for my tour. I was meant to tour Hyrule and meet with a number of important people of the different races.” 

“Different races? You mean the Gorons and the Zora?” 

“Yes, the Rito too and some Hylians of course who hold some power in their regions.”

“So, the Dark lord hadn’t risen to power yet? Was he even alive yet?” the girl asked.

“Well,” Zelda started pulling at some of her notes. “from what I have found I believe he was born not long before I was. Which meant the Gerudo were concealing him for years before he tried to usurp the throne from my father- whoop” She put her hand to her mouth right as she said it. 

“Wait do you mean to tell me that you are the princess? Princess of Hyrule from seven hundred years ago? Does that mean my Azalea has awoken in your place there?” 

Zelda shook her head “I have no idea. That is what I would guess at though. She isn’t going to be prepared to handle this if she is. I could not even imagine this. I have to get back to help my father and my people and to try to stop the dark lord.” 

“You would be surprised. Azalea can handle a lot more than what people think. I am Mindy by the way.” She stepped forward to shake Zelda’s hand. Zelda had not received such a gesture before and it took her a minute to take Mindy’s hand. 

“How are you part Twili? The Twili keep to their realm I thought.”

“Well the gateway between the two worlds stands open but highly regulated. Luckily my dad petitioned to come here to the University years ago to take up a job teaching about Twili. My mum was a Hylian student of his and now here I am all these years later.” She smiled. “It isn’t very common for twili to leave their realm… that is true. I am one of the only twili/hylian hybrids in the land.” Mindy said with a flourish. 

"Jed said something last night about the interlopers joining the Dark Lord." Zelda mentioned to her. 

"Well yes, the original interlopers were sent to the land of Twilight where they evolved. However, the texts say that there was a secret society of Twili who rejoined the Dark Lord to try to take over Hyrule. When the war ended they were banished back into the twilight realm where they were executed by the other Twili. Since then, the Twili and the people of Hyrule have been on friendly terms. 

Just then, the headmaster had come into the library, “Ah found you. You best be off soon if you wish to catch the train. Here are the tickets.” Azalea’s father handed two tickets off to Mindy. 

“Thanks Mr. Nohansen. We will be back as soon as we’ve had a good swim.” Mindy told him. 

“Well that’s that then. I have plenty to keep me busy around here. You girls don’t miss your train now.” He started shooing them out of the Library as Zelda swept up all the notes she had taken and one of the books. 

Mindy led Zelda back to her room telling her that they could research and come up with a plan all while traveling and enjoying the lakeside. She packed a bag for Zelda knowing more about where Azalea’s things were than Zelda herself did. Once Zelda was packed and changed for traveling, they hurried down from the west wing and past the dining hall into the sunshine. Mindy convinced Zelda that the amount of leg she was showing was perfectly acceptable in their current time. She had persuaded Zelda into a pair of denim shorts and one of Azalea’s Tshirts that had the University emblem on it. 

Once outside the University, Zelda was able to see a semblance between this building and her castle back home. When she pointed it out to Mindy, Mindy had told her that the University was in fact built over and around what had been Hyrule Castle. Most of the castle had been destroyed during the great war but what had still stood sat vacant for many years before the University had been built using the remaining structure as to preserve what was left. 

“Initially they had planned to completely restore it but many of the ancient original plans had been destroyed too. And then enough years passed that not many could recall how it used to look anyway. A few scholars wanted to preserve what was left and now here sits what they have created. It is a fine University.” Mindy told her as they stood on a sidewalk bordering the lawns. “Ah here is the car to the station.” Zelda jumped back as a black car briskly drove up the drive and stopped where they were standing. 

“Is this the train?” Zelda asked. 

“Ha! Of course not. This is a car. Goodness this should be interesting.” Mindy opened up the door and motioned for Zelda to sit down inside. A man came around from the front to load up their bags. As the car lurched forward, Zelda felt her stomach cartwheel. The blurry image of the world outside made her head spin. 

“Hey if you feel nauseas then just look at the seat in front of you. It hadn’t occurred to me that you haven’t experienced anything like this before.” Mindy reassured her. Luckily the car ride was only a few minutes long before they entered a large city and got out at a train station.

“This must be Skyhook City.” Zelda said. “I saw it on one of the maps in the Library.” There were quite a few skyscrapers and office buildings. A giant parking garage stood next to the station and the railway. One end disappeared further in the city while another branched out of it. Storefronts of clothing shops and cafes lined the streets. Zelda was at a loss for words. Her senses were overwhelmed by the sheer unfamiliarity. 

“That’s right Skyhook came after your time. But you had Castletown.” Mindy said. 

“Yes, but Castletown was nothing like this.” Just then then a large silver bullet of a train came speeding into the train station and stopped with a jolt. Mindy led her onto the train where she surrendered both their tickets to a conductor. He directed them towards the front of the train where they were assigned to sit. Mindy led Zelda into a first-class train car where there were comfy over stuffed booths with clean glass tables. An attendant brought them over a few glasses of water and asked if they needed anything. Mindy had ordered them some breakfast which the attendant brought over within the first five minutes of the journey. Once they were left to themselves Zelda had asked Mindy if she knew anything about time travel in between bites of fruit and oatmeal.

“Well I have heard of it happening in the past but nothing more than that. Do you have any abilities?” Zelda was taken back for a minute. She remembered what Rauru had told her the night before about Magi being in hiding for what they are. But she had already told Mindy she was from the past. 

“Well yes I have sorcery powers… to an extent. I am not practiced in my abilities.” She told Mindy but Mindy didn’t seem too surprised and just shrugged. 

“Azalea wasn’t a sorceress at all. That would be my first guess but I am not sure where your power comes from or how that even works.” 

“Where do you think the other races could have gone. From what I read; they were forced out of Hyrule along with the dark lord’s beasts. Is it likely that they have traveled to other realms?” Zelda asked.

“Could be. There is a chance they could have gone into hiding as well. When I was a kid, stories would circulate that Zora’s lived at the bottom of the lake but we never really believed it. There can’t be enough resources under there to supply their entire race.” Mindy furled her brow thinking hard. 

“Well it is possible. They aren’t mammals and don’t need to resurface for air. There is an old shrine laying beneath the lake and it could be possible that they are hiding there. Hylian’s wouldn’t be able to get there unless they can breathe under water.”

“How do you know there is a shrine there?” Mindy asked.

“Well its Zora lore. They had a guarded and protected shrine there that served the Royal Zora families before they migrated north. I take it Lake Hylia hasn’t been moved or tampered with since my time. I mean… it’s a lake. We are heading west right?”

“Zora lore? You know a lot about them sounds like. And yes, the Lake is west of here.” 

“Well that’s good. And yes, I have had pretty deft training on all the races. Even the Rito which we still haven’t learned very much about.” 

“The Rito existed? I thought they were just legend.”

“No, they are very real. Birds the size of men. And intelligent like men.” Zelda told her. During the rest of the train ride they put their heads together to determine what they both knew about time travel as well as the great battle.

The train ride only lasted about an hour and didn’t make Zelda as queasy as the car ride did. They grabbed their stored bags and headed back out of the train and out into the sunshine. The Lake that Zelda saw was very much the same lake she remembered visiting back home. The station sat within a small town situated so that it overlooked the lake. Part of the lake was still bordered by limestone cliffs. A giant waterfall fed the lake on the northern side sending mist up and creating a permanent rainbow. The rest of the lake was surrounded by lush rolling hills. Most of which had newly erected villas. Zelda had also noticed that down from train station there was a paved street that stretched down into a boardwalk along the lake’s edge. 

Mindy led Zelda over to a shop where they rented two mopeds to ride to the villa they were staying at. After they secured their bags, they followed the street down the hillside and far to the western side of the lake. It was a very warm day and the cool breeze felt good on Zelda’s face. Zelda had been hesitant to get on the moped and insisted riding on the back of Mindy’s but Mindy promised her that it was safe and easy. They sped down and Mindy lead them into the driveway of a very elegant stone villa that was built up against the stone cliffs. Zelda could see that from down below there were stairs that led up onto the cliff’s face where young boys were jumping and diving into the lake from four or five stories up. 

“What is this place?” Zelda asked as they strode into the villa. 

“Perks of being related to University staff. It is owned by the university and they will use it for functions or if they have a team come and study the lake. I believe there are five or six bedrooms in all and we may be the only ones here.” Zelda dropped her bag in the entryway and walked out onto the covered patio that overlooked the lake. It was almost midday and the high sun spilled on the entire lake including the villa. Soon the cliff face would shield them from the afternoon heat. The sounds of splashing and shouting came up from the where people were swimming and playing in the lake below. Mindy was right about the Lake being a busy place. Zelda could see that most villas seemed to have activity buzzing around them and mopeds along with skateboards and bicycles zoomed along the stone pathways in between them. Many families had set out at the lake’s edge with towels and umbrellas. 

“Well shall we go down for a swim then?” Mindy stripped down to reveal a black bikini underneath.  
“You wear next to nothing while you swim?” Zelda looked away quickly. 

“Ha it’s a bathing suit Zelda. You have one to wear too. I assure you it is perfectly normal. All the girls wear them these days.” She bent to pull out a pale purple one of Azalea’s that she had packed for Zelda. Zelda took it reluctantly and went to change into it in one of the spare rooms. She emerged wearing the T-shirt she had on over it. The villa had steps leading down to the lakefront’s shore where Zelda walked into the water. Mindy had plunged right in. Zelda looked around at the other people and did notice that many of the women had on bathing suits very much like hers. She shed the T-shirt and walked the rest of the way in. The lake was cool but not cold, just like she remembered from the hot days back home. The smell was the same too – she thought to herself as she floated on her back, her toes sticking out of the water. 

Mindy had challenged her to a race swimming out to the island in the center of the lake. Zelda complied and found that Mindy could as well be a Zora for how quickly she could propel herself thru the water. Despite Zelda’s worries for the past, and the war she knew was creeping toward her world Mindy helped her put it all aside for a normal afternoon swimming and meeting other young people who were enjoying their holiday at the lake. Zelda hadn’t known what it was like to lead a life as ‘normal’ as this one. Whenever Zelda had visited the lake in the past it was usually with an array of guards or castle staff. Many of her days had been planned out for her and typically she always had an escort trailing her from one place to another. Here with Mindy they were free to go in for lunch and raid the villa’s kitchen. They jumped from the lower cliffs into the water below and dried out on the sandy shore in front of the villa. They sat there watching as some of the braver men would climb to the higher points of the cliff and dive off. 

One young man in particular had caught Mindy’s eye. He was rather a daredevil who would climb until he had to scale the stone wall to a ledge much higher than any others. Everyone else would stop to watch his ascent and a few young girls screamed as he jumped expertly into a perfect dive before disappearing into the crystalline blue water. He did this a number of times and each time he entered the water; a large wolfish looking dog would make a mad dash into the water from the center island. 

“He is quite an impressive diver.” Mindy mused. “I wonder where he is from.” Zelda just shrugged in response. 

“I am going to go find out.” She flashed Zelda a laughing smile before jumping back into the water and swimming back to the island where the man had just emerged from the water with the dog jumping at his heels. Zelda watched Mindy as she strode out of the water boldly walking right up to the young man. Zelda could see them in conversation and watched as Mindy knelt to pet his dog. They stood there talking for a few minutes before she motioned up to the villa and saw that they both got in the water and started to tread there way toward her with the dog in tow. 

As they met land Zelda could hear Mindy talking rapidly to the young man who Zelda could now see had messy fair blond hair. He was thin and muscular and almost as tall as Mindy. 

“Zelda! This is Link! He’s going to hang out with us awhile.” 

Zelda could hardly believe it. “You said your name is Link?” She asked him. He nodded yes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mindy - Midna. Did you catch that? Yes a Midna descendant and a Link romance. Much more my style. TP was probably my favorite I wanted to write in Midna as a main character alongside a fun daredevil Link we can all love with his big fluffy wolf dog. 
> 
> Yes the interlopers and the Twilight Realm will be a part of this story but we have some time before we get there.
> 
> It may feel weird that Mindy would just believe her on the spot but knowing that her and Azalea were bffs... she would have caught on one way or another. 
> 
> Something else to mention is that I am an Apex Player. Hence Skyhook - which still makes sense because of Skyloft. When I picture Skyhook though, I literally picture Skyhook from Apex with a bullet train and tall towering skyscrapers. 
> 
> "new" Hyrule is supposed to feel like our modern world with skyscrapers and an industrial feel. When I wrote Lake Hylia I looked at so many pictures of all the lakes from all the games. 
> 
> I hope I did them justice.


	5. Before ~ Kakariko

It was early in the afternoon when Azalea and her escorts had passed under the sign bearing the name ‘Kakariko – Home of the Sheikah’. The landscape was one of lush trees mixed with rocky outcroppings of canyons. Kakariko sat at the foot of a large Mountain region. The greatest of the peaks loomed over the town. The town itself had tall rectangular buildings that looked carved from the canyons themselves except for their slated red rooftops with chimneys popping through. Many of the buildings had paintings on them that looked tribal to Azalea. 

The Kakariko she knew looked very different from this one too. She had guessed that they had mined away much of the rocks she saw now as it would come to be about three times the size it is now. The stone buildings would have been remodeled or completely redone and made into towering town homes with restaurants’ and business’ running from the ground floors. She could see a familiar path on the opposite side of the village that led to the Royal family graveyard. In the future, this site had been preserved but was considered a haunted place. Only drifters ever wandered there and weren’t usually seen again. The air was dry and nothing would grow there so it had become quite desolate and felt fitting for a graveyard. 

As the travelers approached, another Hyrule soldier that was stationed there, saluted to Lyle. Villagers began to exit their homes to come and get a good view of the newcomers. Azalea had noticed that nearly all the villagers appeared to be Sheikahs. The Kakariko she knew was known where the Sheikahs had resided before joining Hyrule but the town now was as diverse as Skyhook. Azalea noticed that many of the men and women sported tribal tattoos up and down their bodies. From a large building near the path to the graveyard, a number of other soldiers in familiar attire followed behind a man, who Azalea guessed to be leader of the guard here in Kakariko. His armor was of a different, more elaborate style with the royal family crest emblazoned on his chest. He was being accompanied by a tall, handsome, familiar looking man with piercing blue eyes, in simpler armor, a Sheikah women with a long dark blue cloak and short silver hair and a young Sheikah man about Azalea’s age who stood shirtless, had tattoos snaking from his wrist, across his muscular chest and up his neck to his head. When his red eyes met Azalea’s, he gave her a rather smoldering smile and kept her gaze locked with his. 

“Welcome most esteemed guests. We have been eagerly awaiting your arrival.” It was the woman who spoke first extending her arms out. She had a tattoo on her face as well as her midriff. She wore a long sky-blue skirt and a fitted blue shirt that went to her wrists. Her feet were bare aside from the symbols that had been inked onto each toe. This, thought Azalea must be Impa, leader of the Kakariko tribe. The head guard in the fancy armor helped Lyle from his horse and the two embraced as old friends. The young sheikah man had come to help Azalea off her horse. He held her arm as she dropped from the horse and landed on her feet. He continued his grasp on her arm and spun to face her just as she had looked up. He gazed over Azalea’s face searchingly.

“Princess, may I introduce my son, Sheik” Impa motioned graciously to her son and beamed up at him. Azalea broke the stare between them first to look at Impa but then Sheik released his hand from her arm and stooped into a deep bow. 

“I am honored to make your acquaintance your highness.” He spoke lowly enough so that only she could hear him. His voice was deep and sent a chill up her spine. 

“I have asked him to see to you while you explore our humble village.” Impa told her. Azalea began to thank her when the captain of the guard also stooped Azalea a low bow before embracing her hands. 

“Ah, Zelda how long it has been since I have last seen you! I am Vincent, captain of the guard here in Kakariko. Your father trained alongside me. I have not been at the castle in many years though. Is he well?”

“He is! Thank you, captain.” Azalea prayed to Goddesses that the king was in fact good health. 

“Well come inside the captain’s quarters. You must be famished!” Impa said as they began to head back into the main building. The rest of the village went about their business. As did the soldiers. Just then, Sheik had offered his arm to her and she took it as they followed the small group inside. He smiled down at her appraisingly in an almost off-putting way. A number of women villagers followed the two with their eyes curiously. Azalea was caught off guard by how handsome he was but also mused that because of it, he was potentially quite vain. 

The captain’s quarters opened up to a large room with a grand table of solid wood. Along the walls were shelves and cupboards that held books and scrolls. A map of Hyrule took up nearly an entire wall. It looked to Zelda like a room where important meetings were held. Sheik had pulled out a chair for her as the others sat around the great table. Impa sat down at the head of the table with Lyle directly to her right. Sheik was at her left with Zelda at his other side. The man with the blue eyes sat directly across from her shooting her worried glances all the while. Link sat to Zelda’s left and Pipit was across from him. Vincent was at the other end across from Impa. Another young sheikah women appeared from a side room with dishes of fruit and cheese. 

“And of course, Gonzo you know.” Vincent said, while motioning to the blue-eyed man. He looked relieved to have a reason to address her.

“I hope your journey has been an easy one princess.” He said to her easily. 

“As easy as it could be, I suppose.” She told him mysteriously. 

“Well I will accompany you on you on your tour from here.” He spoke quite seriously. 

“Well then you will be welcome company.” She said. She assumed that this man was some sort of warrior. He was built like a building. Scruff covered his face and his nose looked as if it had been broken a number of times. She had rather decided that he was quite handsome too. And there was something familiar about his fierce blue gaze. 

“Right best to be on our guard when meeting the Gerudos.” Vincent said jovially. 

“Impa do you have any news as to the goings’-on in the west?” It was back to deliberations as Impa shared her concerns for the Gerudo’s secrecy but even more so for the new skeptical race of the Ritos. Zelda sat and soaked it all in. Conversation bounced back and forth between Impa, Lyle and Vincent. Gonzo and Sheik would share their input in between pauses. The other three sat and listened quietly. Every once in a while, someone would ask Azalea her opinion on a matter and luckily nothing was too specific or complex for her to fumble over her references. No one seemed to pick up that she was in fact not princess Zelda at all. 

Link and Pipit were the first to leave and head into the barracks to familiarize Link with the soldier’s routines and to meet the other ranks. Impa suggested that Sheik escort Zelda back to the graveyard to pay her respects. Lyle stood to follow before Impa assured him that she would be fine. He relented and stayed to chat with Impa and Vincent more about the kingdom’s politics. Gonzo on the other hand stood and left to follow Azalea and Sheik at a reasonable distance not long after they had left the building. 

Azalea followed Sheik down the pathway. She had discarded her cloak long ago and the sun warmed her back. The path led up a hill to a beautiful grove of palms and fragrant flowers. A Shekiah man was pruning one of the great palms. You could tell the graveyard was very well taken care of. It hardly looked like a graveyard at all! Stone arches covered with vines surrounded the garden. A small fountain opened up and all around there were polished marble plaques. Azalea did not feel emotional here and wondered if Zelda would have. Azalea’s own mother had been buried in the Skyhook Cemetery back by the University. Did Zelda have any loved ones in eternal sleep in any of these plots?

Azalea fixed her face with a morose expression and followed Sheik to each of the plots. He told her each and every one of the people who had been buried here. Some were Sheikahs, others were members of the Hylian royal family. Zelda’s grandparents were here as were a number of reigning kings and queens among other family members including aunts, uncles, and cousins. 

“Your own mother is buried in the Castle Cemetery, correct?” He asked her. That answered Azalea’s question.

“That’s right.” She said quietly looking down. 

“I lost my father when I was young. He is here too. That is why we take such good care of the land here. I would like to think of my father resting in a beautiful garden.” 

“It is beautiful here.” She agreed with him. 

“It is almost as beautiful as you.” He told her. Azalea looked away as her stomach flopped. 

“Well thank you. But beauty is only skin deep. You hardly even know me.” She retorted.

“Ah but we have been destined together since birth.” He searched her face.  
For Azalea this was not how she would have wanted to be courted. Perhaps Zelda had wanted to marry this man. He was too bold and too familiar. 

“We haven’t met before have we?” She asked him earnestly. He laughed at her.

“No of course not princess, but I have been told of your great beauty and how sweet and smart you are. I am told we have studied much of the same subjects through our separate upbringings and may have a lot in common.” Azalea tried not to gape at him. How was she going to pull this off?

“But certainly, you must really meet and spend time with someone before you really know them?” She countered back 

“Exactly!” He started, “that is why you are here! And if you would like me too, I would be happy to accompany you on your travels.” He raised an eyebrow at her. 

“I think that decision should be up to my advisors and my guard. Have you traveled the land much?” She was all too happy to change the subject. They walked the garden discussing his various travels across the land. He had met and spent time up north with the Zoras. He has kept mainly to the eastern and northern parts of Hyrule. She was curious to hear it all the same and saw that he was keen on her interest in him. 

All the while Gonzo had walked purposefully into the Garden and had positioned himself like a guard near the entrance watching the exchange. Zelda and Sheik continued around the rest of the Cemetery. Zelda peppered him with questions about his life and Sheik had been all too happy to oblige. 

“Where to next?” He asked her after they had circled the cemetery. “We have some time before the welcoming feast.”

“If you wouldn’t mind, I would like to go to my lodgings and rest for a while.” She told him as they made their way back towards the entrance. She wasn’t sure how much longer she was going to be able to keep up this pretense. Luckily it seemed that Sheik was just vain enough to not ask Zelda any personal questions about her own life. When Zelda caught Gonzo’s eye she found an opening.

“Oh Gonzo! There you are, would you mind showing me to my lodgings please?” She started moving away from Sheik and took Gonzo’s arm. 

“Of course, princess.” He told her. 

“Til the feast then Sheik.” She dismissed him with a gracious bow of her head.  
“Princess.” He bowed his head back and looked at Gonzo venomously before they turned and started walking back down the path.

“You look like you have something to say.” She told him when they were far enough from Sheik.

“Only that you need to be careful with him. His mother is using this visit as her opening to match the two of you together. Impa would love to see Sheik at the castle by your side.”  
“Is that such a bad thing?” She asked him. “Surely her father expects her to marry sometime.”

“Her? princess?” He asked her confused. She forgot herself.

“I meant me. My father expects me to marry sometime. Why not another leader of their people but Sheik is already our ally, isn’t he?” 

“He is but it is in Impa’s best interest to have her son in the castle having a hand in the direction Hyrule is headed. Not to mention producing heirs that are both of Sheikah descent as well as Hylian royalty.” He told her “And where is your sword? It is most unlike you to travel the land without it.” 

“My sword? Why I haven’t a clue.” She told him. It was his turn to be dumbstruck.

“Are you feeling okay princess?” His shock at her caused her to think she may have mis stepped an important detail of Zelda’s character. But did Princesses normally carry a sword? She wouldn’t know what to do with it all the same. 

"I am sure I just left it with my mount. It should be in my lodgings with the rest of my things.” She told him. That seemed to settle it but he still looked at her skeptically. They continued back down the path and into the captain’s lodgings. But this time, he took her through a side passage and led her up a staircase and down a narrow hallway. 

“Last door on the left is you. I am across the hall and two rooms over in case you need anything at all.” He told her in earnest. She could tell that this man cared for Zelda. She wasn’t sure exactly in what way. He was maybe close to ten years her elder. 

“Thank you.” She told him. He went into his room as Azalea entered her own. It was bigger than the room she had stayed in at the Inn. There was a large four poster feather bed that was draped in, what looked to Azalea like hand woven blankets. She could see that the small traveling trunk had been brought in that held a few other traveling garments as well as a formal dress. Azalea admired the fine stitching and embroidery. The material was soft and light in Azaleas hands. The dress itself was a dark inky blue with gold embroidery on the sleeves. With it was an under bust corset in gold. ‘Simple but elegant’ She thought to herself. Among her things was a brush and a hand gilded mirror. The only makeup Azalea could find was a small powder box and some rouge. After combing out her hair she laid on the bed looking up at the canopy wondering where the real Zelda was. 

Not long after there was a knock at the door. 

“Come in.” Azalea said. In walked the Sheikah woman who had served them their meal earlier. 

“Excuse my bothering you, your highness. But Impa wanted to offer my services to you.”

“And what services would those be?” She asked back.

“I am her maid. Is there anything I can do for you in preparation for the gathering this evening?” 

“Well, would I have enough time to bathe?” She asked. “If it isn’t too much trouble.” 

“No trouble at all your highness. We have a well to a hot spring and hot water is always at the ready.” 

“Well that sounds nice.” Azalea marveled. 

“I will send the hip bath up immediately along with some water.” 

“Thank you.” Azalea said. Minutes later another knock sounded at her door. It was a man this time carrying a large wooden tub which he sat in front of the fireplace. Four other young women came in with jugs of steaming water. After she was alone, Azalea lowered herself into the warm tub. 

It felt comforting to wash the last day off of her in this new strange Hyrule she didn’t know. Her worries carried across the surface and rose with the steam. She scrubbed herself down with a bar of soap that smelt much like the flowers in the cemetery. Not long after, the same young woman knocked and came in to check on her. 

“Perhaps I can plait your hair. I can pull it back and style it in a Sheikah style if you’d like.” She offered.

“That would be nice. Thank you.” Azalea told her. She got out of the tub and dried off and wrapped herself in a dressing gown she found in her trunk. She found out this young women’s name was Paya and that she was a niece to Impa. 

“This style will be sure to impress Sheik.” Paya told Zelda.

“Well I don’t know if I should be trying to impress Sheik.” Zelda said vaguely.

“Why is that? All the women here are mad for him.” 

“Well aside from the one conversation we had, I don’t know very much about him.” 

“Well he will inherit Kakariko from his mother one day. That makes him very eligible.” 

“Well I guess I am set to inherit all of Hyrule one day so that wouldn’t mean much to me at all. I do hope that he and I could be friends and allies in the years to come.” Azalea told Paya. That seemed to put an end to that conversation. 

“Who were those other men that came with you?” Paya asked.

“Oh, do you mean the other three gentlemen? Well Lyle is my head guard of sorts… I suppose. But the short one with brown hair is Pipit. He’s a soldier too. And the tall blond haired one is Link. We actually just met him in Ordon and he is to become a soldier as well.”

“Link, hmm…” Paya’s thought trailed but Azalea could see Paya’s mouth turn up in the corners just slightly when she said his name. 

“Apparently he is a very courageous man. He has tackled a number of strange beasts that roam Ordon’s forests.” Azalea told her. It was fun for Azalea to gossip about boys like she had done with her friend Mindy back home. Paya’s eyes grew wide at that. 

“Are you joining us for the feast Paya? Perhaps they will seat the two of you together.” 

“Oh no your highness, I will be serving again.” She told her. 

“Well you will just have to make sure you give him extra portions and keep his cup full throughout the night. I have found that the best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” The two of them laughed together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved writing this chapter. Mainly because I had started a fanfic years ago back in highschool that highlighted on a romance between Impa's son Sheik and Princess Zelda. 
> 
> My first playthru of OOT was when I was about eight years old and had no idea that Sheik was anyone other than Sheik. Imagine my surprise when he revealed himself to be princess Zelda. 
> 
> Ever since then, I've always written fanfics where Sheik is very much his own character. 
> 
> I wanted to give Azalea plenty of eligible bachelors hence Gonzo. Now in playing Wind Waker, I always thought I detected some hidden crush that Gonzo had on Tetra thru some of their interactions. -maybe it was just my girly romantic side coming out. But I wanted to put Gonzo in this story as a strong character rather than the bumbling neanderthal he appears to be in WW. 
> 
> When I wrote Kakariko, I tried to keep the layout from TP but with more geological features of Kakariko in BOTW. I wanted it to stay a beautiful lush village.


	6. After ~ Don't go Chasin Waterfalls

“So, link, who are your parent’s? That is if you don’t mind my asking.” It was Zelda who was inquiring. The name Link meant a few things to her. She had to believe that it was fate that led her to meeting this young man. 

“My dad works in Ordon. Well foster dad actually. He found me. No parents besides him and his wife that I can remember.” 

“And what does he do in Ordon.” Zelda asked. 

“Well he’s a craftsman. Helps with building everything from Custom footstools to custom molding in your home.”

“How interesting.” Zelda looked at him with great interest. 

“Interesting indeed!” Mindy piped in. “And do you do any crafting yourself Link?” 

“No, it isn’t in my nature to make things. I would rather break them personally. No, I travel around Hyrule looking for thrills. I am a bit of an adrenaline junky as you can imagine.” He gestured up towards the big cliff. The three of them sat out on the patio overlooking the lake sipping sparkling beverages from glass bottles. 

“Where in Hyrule have you visited?” Mindy beat Zelda to the punch. Zelda had been wondering that same thing herself. 

“Well, just about everywhere you could think of.”

“You must have gone up to Snow Peak resort to board the mountains.” Mindy guessed

“Yep. I’ve done that.” 

“Have you scaled what they used to call death mountain?” Zelda asked

“Not all the way up, there is a large quarry with some man-made tunnels that lead up to a high ledge that overlooks Hyrule. It is extraordinary! But that is all that’s there. There is a strange opening in one of the cliffs that has been all blocked up. But that’s it. 

“How curious.” Zelda gave a meaningful look to Mindy who read her expression. Have you seen anything else in your travels that would strike you as odd?” 

“Well the temple in Faron woods is always a trip. Everything about that place is odd.” Mindy and Zelda were on the ends of their chairs. “And up at the Lanayru resort, where the big waterfall is. I scaled up to the reservoir that the waterfall flows from. The walls there grow icy and can’t be climbed. Even on a warm summer day… which I thought didn’t make much sense.”

Zelda looked at Mindy and felt that it was almost as if Mindy was reading her mind. 

“Say, would you be willing to show us these places? Perhaps we could pay as a guide or something. We would like to learn more about the great mysteries of Hyrule.” Mindy asked leaning forward eagerly. 

“Well, I don’t know.” He blanched. “It’s no walk in the park. Some of these places are really hard to get to. We would be roughing it most of the time and you two seem like a couple of city girls to me.”

“We are much tougher than we look.” Zelda spoke assuredly for both of them not knowing whether Mindy would be game. Despite spending much of her life in the castle, Zelda had been practiced at studying plants and herbs native to Hyrule as well as fencing and wilderness survival skills. She had been looking forward to putting her skills to the test on her upcoming tour… now she would have a chance to try them and without a station of guards nearby. Just herself, Mindy and Link. 

They sat out on that patio until dusk fell and the Villa’s outdoor lamps began to pop on. Mindy brought them out plates of what Mindy called ‘snack food’ as they planned out their journey. First, they would travel to Ordon and the forest with the hidden temple. Zelda knew that this temple was formerly known as the temple of time. But it had been a relic in her time. She could not imagine what state they would find it in now. Then they would make their way to Death Mountain to see the strange stones before making their way to the giant waterfall. Zelda was also curious to make her way to the giant canyons where the Rito used to live to see if there was any trace of them. Link had not traveled there before but was interested to go all the same. He seemed up for any adventure which seemed accurate from what Zelda knew of the former heroes from which he was a namesake. 

Mindy had invited Link to stay in their Villa with them after he told them that he was just camping out on the lakefront with his dog. They soon learned that the dog was really a wolf named Rinku that Link had domesticated from its birth. To Zelda it really did seem like more of a giant cuddly teddy bear. He followed every one of Link’s commands and had perfectly good manners.  
While spending the duration of the evening talking, Mindy had pulled Zelda into the kitchen.

“Should we tell him?” Mindy asked Zelda

“Tell him that I am from the past? No! Hey may think we’re crazy and not agree to help us at all!” 

“But he seems… I don’t know so chill. Like he would believe us.”

“I guess so, but do you think we can trust him?” Zelda asked her

“I think so. Do you think he likes me?” Mindy gushed.

“Too soon to tell. Besides, you just met him. Why do you like him?” Zelda asked Mindy. 

“He’s cute! What’s not to like? And he’s a thrill seeker… and I’m kind of a thrill.” Mindy gave Zelda a suggestive wink before breaking out in giggles. Zelda shook her head in disbelief. She hoped Mindy wouldn’t be too distracted by their guide to focus on the task at hand. Zelda was hoping that visiting these strange places would help shed some light on how she came to be here and how she could possibly get home. 

Zelda followed Mindy back out to the patio but asked excused herself to retire to her room for the evening. Spending the day swimming had exhausted her. They had decided to hold off traveling to Ordon so that they could spend another day at the lake. Zelda did feel at ease here despite that she also felt eager to start their trip. 

When Zelda awoke the next morning, she had decided that sleeping in with no maid to wake her was quite possibly one of the greatest things of all time. That was until she went into the bathroom to take a bath and found a cascading shower that dispensed hot water like a tropical rainstorm. She had not experienced the gift of indoor plumbing and decided that if and when she got back home, she would set the Castle’s engineers to concoct her own shower. 

When she came down for breakfast Link was sitting in the lawn looking out over the lake eating a piece of toast. She sat down beside him. Rinku was next to them rolling on his back in the lawn. Crumbs of his own piece of toast speckled his white muzzle. Zelda could not explain it but Link was a comforting presence to her. As was Rinku. She felt connected somehow. 

“Link, have you ever heard anything about time travel before?” She started slowly. She had wondered before going to sleep the night before if he might know more, considering his travels throughout the land. 

“I’ve never experienced time travel before. I have heard that you can trick your mind into thinking that you are somewhere else. If that is the case you could trick yourself into thinking you’re in a different time too, I suppose.” Zelda thought about that for a minute. 

“Like a dream?” She asked. 

“Sort of. Have you heard of Termina?” He asked her. Zelda shook her head no. That wasn’t a place she had known but it could be part of the modern Hyrule she didn’t know. 

“I am not sure how, but I’ve been there. It is like Hyrule but not Hyrule at all. I was only there for three days but after I came back, I often thought that I had only imagined it.” 

“That sounds rather peculiar. What did you find there?” She asked him

“Well I found trouble. Lots of it. I don’t remember everything but I do remember giants and a great looming moon. There was also a helpful group of monkeys and a band of pirates that had stolen a Zora’s eggs.” He trailed on. Zelda thought he sounded as crazy as she did. 

“You don’t think it was just a dream though?” She asked him.

“No, it definitely wasn’t a dream. I’ve got the scars to prove it. I was only a kid when it happened. The strange thing though is that when I reemerged from the forest it was if I had only been gone for an hour. Or maybe even a moment. It was if nothing had happened at all.” Zelda could tell that this fact really perturbed him. It was in that moment she decided she would tell him the truth.

“Link, I believe you. And I hope you will believe me when I tell you that my name is actually Zelda. Your story doesn’t sound all that crazy to me because I’ve traveled thru time. And if I was able to do such, then why wouldn’t you be able to travel to a different realm. I was born over 700 years ago. Mindy knows the truth and she believes me. I have come to your time in the form of Mindy’s friend Azalea whose father is headmaster of the University. I am not sure how Azalea and myself are connected but if I am here, then she must certainly be back in my time.” 

Link didn’t gape at her like she was expecting. Rather, he hung his head with a look of concentration as if mulling her words around in her head. 

“I know that a war is going to take place in my time now. The dark lord will rise to power and wreak havoc upon the land. In my time there are still Gorons and Zoras. I feel like if you help us to travel to some of the places you’ve found, maybe we can find some answers as to how this all came to be.” She stopped and waited for his reaction. A few moments passed and it didn’t come. 

“Please Link, you must believe me.” She begged him. 

“Well I definitely believe you.” He started. “what is unbelievable is that a princess of Hyrule is asking help from a Link.” 

“So, you know your namesake?” She asked him. 

“Well of course I do. An orphan boy from Ordon. That was why they named me Link.”

“You know there was a man named Link back in my time. He was in Ordon too and was said to have been a great horseman and a fearless hunter. He was invited to join the royal guard and train with our best swordsmen.” 

“Well I have wondered about any possible ties I could have with the past… but all the stories and all the legends just seem too farfetched.” 

“Well whether you do or not I am very grateful to you for helping us. For helping me.” She smiled reassuringly. Looked up at her and told her that it was no trouble at all.  
Just then Mindy came bounding out onto the terrace back in her bathing suit. 

“Anyone up for a morning swim?” Link watched as she strode into the lake with Rinku right behind her. If Zelda didn’t know any better, she would say that Link was entranced with Mindy. 

“I’ll oblige.” He told Zelda before stripping off his shirt and following Mindy into the depths of the lake. Zelda stretched out on the grass and stared up into the sky and thought about how strange all of this was turning out to be. The morning sun warmed her face and the air grew warm around the lake. Happy families started emerging from their campsites and the different villas around the lake. 

The rest of the day was spent swimming and lounging. Mindy and Link stuck together like glue. She often teased him for one thing or another but they matched each other with cliff diving and racing in the water to and from the center island. Zelda had decided to swim across to where the waterfall stood. There was a ledge just alongside it that Zelda thought she could climb to and admire it up close. 

She first crossed to the center island where Mindy and Link were talking with a few other people in the lake. When she got nearer to the waterfall the sound was deafening. The light mist dampened the area around it. When Zelda reached the cliffside she found it slick and unstable. She was able to reach up and pulled herself with difficulty out of the water and onto the damp ledge. She walked to the edge of where the cliff face disappeared behind the waterfall. She could pass her hand thru the gushing rivulets. She gazed down into the water where the stream fed. It looked deep. She put her face to the wall and peered back behind the waterfall as well. It was hard to know for sure but she saw what looked like a mouth of a cave back behind the waterfall. ‘Well certainly that is pretty obvious.’ She thought to herself. 

“Surely everyone knows this is here. There couldn’t be anything very interesting about it if no one else is out here exploring it.” But her curiosity got the best of her and unthinking, she plunged into the waterfall. She passed through the curtain of water and landed in a pool just beyond it. 

Indeed, it was the mouth of a large damp cave. She could not see into the back of it as it was very dark. When she emerged from the water a chill swept over her as there was no sunlight here to dry or warm her. The chill wasn’t just the lake water but it seemed a cold breeze was blowing out of the tunnel. Zelda feared she would catch a chill if she didn’t dry off quickly. Rather than reemerging into the sunlight. She tried to focus her mind. She conjured a flame not unlike the one that Gaebor had conjured up the other evening while escorting her to dinner. She held it in both her hands and felt its meager warmth seep back into her limbs. She began walking towards the back of the cave all the while the light was guiding her.

The cave itself shone with the blue light shining on the walls. The cave curved and soon the entrance to the cave was hidden. She walked unknowingly for about 10 minutes before she found herself facing a wall of great boulders. They looked intentionally placed to block the cave’s path. The blow of icy air escaped from the small cracks in the boulder. Despite the flame in her hand Zelda began shivering. Along the wall however, there was a small doorway sized opening. It was extraordinarily narrow. The walls nearly grazed her arms when she entered it. It led down at a slope and opened to a stone stairwell.

She dared walk down it. Thankful that this path wasn’t as cold as the initial cave had been. The stairwell had begun to grow exceedingly damp the further down she went. The narrow stairwell continued on and Zelda assessed that she must be far beneath the lake. Eventually the staircase opened up into a tall room with a large gilded door. The door itself had been etched with seashells and depictions of sea life. Zelda admired the work tracing her finger along a pair of love-struck seahorses.

She pressed her palm to the door and attempted to push it forward but it was clearly locked. It didn’t budge at all. She grasped the handle and tried pulling it open too but to no avail. It seemed completely sealed and she wondered if it was sealed by magic. This time she pressed both palms to the door and closed her eyes. She was plunged in darkness as her flame extinguished. She concentrated as hard as she could on the door and imagined it opening… but that didn’t work either. She traced her hands all along the edges but couldn’t find any way to make the door give. Re conjuring her flame, Zelda decided to turn back to find Mindy and Link and tell them about the door. There was a chance they already knew about it. She was positive that it opened to the rumored lake bed temple.

She took the stone stairway at a run in an attempt to warm herself before trudging back through the C hilly cave. Once she reached the mouth of the cave she waded back into the water and dived beneath the cascading wall of water. She reemerged into the sunlight. The heat of the day warming her face. She swam back to the villa and found the trio drying out in the sunlight.  
“Where have you been?” Mindy called to her.

“Behind the waterfall. Did you know there is a cave there?”

“Oh yes, it’s always been there but the path has been sealed. Some rumors say that the path used to be used by Zoras to get from the domain to the lake. Others say it led to the castle and was used as an emergency escape route. Do you know anything about it?”

“No, I never knew of an emergency exit from the castle. But the giant carved door… what is that rumored to be?” Zelda asked Mindy. But Mindy looked very confused by the question.

“Giant carved door? What door? We’ve been, well Azalea and I have been in that cave a number of times but haven’t ever seen a door. Where was it?”

“Just before all the boulders block the path, there is a narrow entry that leads down a flight of stairs.”

“Could you show us?” Mindy asked. At that Zelda led them back across to the lake back behind the waterfall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have a whole lot to say about this chapter. I definitely wanted Zelda and Link to have a personal connection, just not a romantic one. That bit about Termina was a solid nod to MM and they may find themselves there at some point. I haven't decided yet. 
> 
> Throughout writing, i tried to write in little moments between Link and Zelda that they had in different games.


	7. Before ~ The Feast

As Azalea was finishing wiping the powder and rouge from her fingertips there was a knock on her door. She got up to find Lyle waiting at her door. He commented on how beautiful she looked that evening and took her arm to escort her to the feast. Paya had left her not long before to ready herself and make her way to the banquet hall in another part of the village to help prepare for the feast. 

Lyle was to escort Azalea there himself. Lyle was no longer wearing the bulky armor he had been in earlier but was in an elegant blue doublet that had the royal crest stitched onto the back. Upon entering the hall, Azalea could see which of the men were Hylian soldiers as they were in similar costume. Link and Pipit were both there wearing similar ones. The Sheikah men were also garbed in sleeveless doublets with the Sheikah symbol; the eye of truth. Sleeveless no doubt to show the impressive ink that webbed up and down their muscled arms. Many Sheikah women were there as well. Some dressed as the men did or were in strapless bodices that cut at the midriff and revealed tattoos along their ribcages. The women took to inky black eye makeup that made their eyes smoky and intense. Azalea thought they had a very wild look to them. Those that had long tresses had them elaborately braided as Paya had done to her own hair. 

Impa had swept in on Azalea and Lyle and graciously welcomed them into the hall. Impa herself was in a deep red dress that plumed at the sleeves. The eye of truth symbol was embossed in blue along her skirt. She took Azalea from Lyle and moved her around the room introducing her to a number of Sheikah people who held positions of power in the village. 

At one-point Azalea spotted Gonzo clustered with a few other soldiers. Unlike them he was in a brilliant green doublet that set him apart from the rest of the crowd. She was glad she could pick him out easily and quickly caught his eye before being diverted away by Impa. As Impa led her around the room, everything came to a stop all of a sudden. Sheik had entered the room in an inky black doublet with the eye of truth emblazoned in gold. He strode abruptly toward them and kissed his mother in greeting before positioning himself next to Azalea. She thought to herself that their matching colors was not an accident but that he had his attire fixed to match hers. 

Impa invited Sheik to take Azalea’s arm as she left them to invite guests to be seated for the feast. Sheik led Azalea to the front most table and pulled the chair out for her. Sure enough, he sat at her right again with his mother at the head of the table. Azalea noted that most of those around them however were Sheikahs. The only other Hylian at her table was Link who sat at the other end across from Impa. All the other soldiers were spread out at different tables around the hall. Directly to her left was another Sheikah man who was fully engrossed in conversation with the Sheikah woman on his other side. She could still make out Gonzo in green though. He was only a table away and sitting faced towards her along with Vincent. 

The feast went without a hitch. Azalea listened to many of the conversations around her and was often asked questions only about her journey thus far and what expectations she held for the remainder of her journey. Azalea felt eyes on her all the time as many of the women took to watching her with Sheik. All the while they cocked their eyebrows and whispered among themselves. He was very courteous and accommodating to her. He made a point of keeping her wine goblet full. Azalea was happy to see Paya and took to having pleasant conversation with her every time she came to reset the goblets of wine or water. She also amused herself by watching Paya’s careful attentions to Link at the end of the table. She could see Paya lean into him as she swapped dishes and cast flirty comments his way. He reciprocated by gazing directly upon her face and saying things that made her laugh. Azalea couldn’t help thinking about the crying red-haired girl back in Ordon. 

A small troupe had set up in the corner of the room to provide the feast with a musical accompaniment. There was a low thumping of a drum keeping beat while a man played an errant tune on a deep sounding harp. 

As the night grew one Azalea took to observing the Sheikah men and women. The ones that were clearly together were not shy with their affections. Many of the men put arms around their sweethearts’ waists and kissed them shamelessly. Many women passed by to speak to either Sheik or Impa. A number of them passed by to speak to Link who revered the attention. Azalea mused that his eye had not followed anyone as long as it had followed Paya. A few men had also come to Azalea to kiss her hand and comment upon her beauty. She wondered if this was something everyone told a princess and felt that they probably would have said it even if she was very ugly. All the while Sheik would smile upon these exchanges very proudly. 

The feast had continued on with a number of exotic courses and different types of wine, ale, and fruit juices. Sheik had encouraged her to try everything and found herself feeling quite warm and fuzzy by the end of it.

“Your hair is lovely tonight princess. Seeing it plaited in Sheikah fashion suits you.” Sheik had told her. Paya had bound it and plaited it several different braids and then secured it into a bun at the base of her neck. It looked to Azalea like wound up and bounded chords. It was rather elaborate but very neat.

“Thank you! Paya did it for me.” She told him.

“Ah yes my dear cousin.” His words sounded messy. He had clearly been trying everything too. As the plates and dishes were being cleared men and women were drifting from one table to another talking, laughing, and drinking. It was a merry bunch indeed. Sheik had found his cousin shamelessly sitting on Link’s lap as Link was unfolding tales of taking down bears in Ordon to those around him. It seemed to Azalea that many of those around him were hanging on his every word. Quite a story it must be. – thought Azalea. 

Her eyes had wandered over to Gonzo who had been visited by a number of Sheikah women who were clearly interested in him. From what Azalea could see he was very courteous but not gravely interested in any of them. He kept in his seat engrossed in conversation with a number of men. Every once in a while, he would look up to the head table and meet Azalea’s eye.

It was well past midnight when Impa had finally announced that she would retire for the evening. Paya and the other servers broke away from their merriment to clear out all the empty pitchers and flagons. After Impa’s parting word, Sheik put an arm around Azalea familiarly. She let him do it all the same but it was almost off – putting. 

“Shall we go about the room?” She asked him

“If so, I feel I might lose my footing.” He told her sheepishly. He must’ve been very drunk. One of his close friends he had introduced to Azalea, took Impa’s vacant seat and kept Sheik engaged in conversation.

“Well then you can stay here.” She told him almost endearingly as she got up. About Half of the feasters had already filed out. The younger and wilder crowd stayed behind to continue drinking and laughing amongst themselves. Azalea was happy to see that Gonzo was still there, a mug of ale in his hands. He didn’t look nearly as uptight as earlier but she could tell his shoulders had relaxed and he showed a slight smile upon his face. She neared his table to overhear a Sheikah man telling him about their recent trades with the Zora. It seemed that thev Kakariko used the herbs in their gardens to make medicine which they traded to the Zora for numerous types of seafood that had been presented during the feast. It was true that Azalea had favored a succulent steamed blue crab dressed in a butter mushroom sauce. 

“Ah princess!” Gonzo said. Motioning for her to sit next to him. She caught herself thinking that she would have preferred to sit on his lap the way Paya did with Link. And then decided that she should probably switch her wine goblet for a waterskin. 

“Please continue your conversation.” She told them. “I’d like to know more about your dealings with the Zora.” 

“Ah well Princess, you will surely learn it from them yourself. Set to meet them, aren’t you?” The Sheikah man asked. 

“In a few days’ time yes.” She replied. Gonzo had spurned the conversation onward as Azalea sat and listened as attentively as she could. She could not help but wait for Gonzo’s turn to speak so that she could shamelessly watch his mouth or the rippling muscle in his neck. She did look over to Sheik to find her recently vacated seat was taken by a very pretty Sheikah women who kept Sheik and his friend engaged. Azalea continued in Gonzo’s conversation of trade until she felt herself growing very sleepy and halted the conversation to make her excuses. Gonzo had stood to escort her back to her room. Sheik was still engrossed in his conversation with the other Sheikah women and decided not to interrupt. 

As they left the hall, pitch torches stood all around town lighting their path back to the captain’s quarters. Sheikah men and women were out strolling in the romantic glow of the torch lights. 

"How did you find the feast?" Gonzo asked her making polite conversation. 

"It was very fun. They are a lively people aren't they?" Azalea asked him. 

"Yes, I find that the wine never flows as freely back at the castle." He said. She stayed quiet, not knowing really what to say. "That is unless you count certain feast days," he continued. He had been waiting for some sort of response from her... a recollection of a previous time but she did not catch his intention. 

“Princess, are you okay?.” He asked seriously, stopping and turning her towards him.   
"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" She asked plainly. 

A look of concern flitted across his handsome face. Azalea was all too aware of the implications this was causing. She felt like this man knew the real Zelda well enough that perhaps she should tell him the truth. 

“I don’t believe I am quite ready for bed yet. Would you mind accompanying me to the graveyard to take in some of the blossoms?” She asked him. 

“Of course.” He said easily. He seemed different from the man who had escorted her out of this cemetery earlier in the day but she could have attributed that to merriment of the evening. 

Rather than torches the graveyard had glowing lamps. One at the entrance and one by the groundskeeper’s cottage. Another was back by the fountain. They followed the path winding between different plaques and headstones to a small bench. It was rather dark but Azalea made her way to it. After Gonzo had sat down beside her she began to feel rather anxious. 

“Gonzo, I have something rather important to tell you. And I hope you will believe me.” She started.

“You aren’t going to tell me that you are in love with the Sheikah’s prince, are you?” He asked her smiling. 

“No of course not!” She told him. “It’s only, well… I can trust you right? Zelda can trust you?” 

“Of course!” He told her quite seriously, unknowingly taking her hand.

“Well you see it’s just that I am not she. I am not Zelda.” He looked at her curiously. 

“Well then who would you be?” He asked her. She decided to start from the beginning and told him about waking up in the forest grove the day before. That she found herself in a world seven hundred years behind her own. 

“Where is Zelda then?” he asked her. 

“I don’t know.” She told him. He sat there thinking for a good long while. She was terrified of his reaction. Would he send her back to the castle and toss her into a dungeon? Would they suspend the tour? 

“Something I do know,” She started. “There will be a war. The Gerudos will produce an heir. I do not know if he is alive yet but he will cause destruction to rain down on Hyrule.” 

“That sounds like a vision to me.” He told her. 

“Well in a sense it is. But I have brought you the knowledge of the future.” She went on to tell him that her name is Azalea and expressed to him what she had learned of the dark lord and the great war. She told him about Hyrule in the future. 

“That is why you didn’t carry your sword.” He inferred. 

“That is correct. I don’t know how to handle a sword.” She told him. 

“If Zelda has traveled to your time, is she safe?” He asked. 

“Very much so,” She reassured him that Hyrule in her time was not war torn any longer. Just different and very modern. Zelda would be safe at the University with her father that is if that is where she even was. Azalea hoped very much that she had not made a mistake in telling Gonzo. 

“You are very like her in your mannerisms. Is it possible that you are her direct descendant?” He asked her. 

“I didn’t think so but it would make the most sense wouldn’t it?” She asked him. The thought had not crossed her mind. Her grandfather had been headmaster of the university before her father and his father before that. As the Monarchy had ended after the great war the accession of the royal family had not been tracked. 

“Does that mean you believe me?” She asked him. 

“Yes, I think I must.” He told her slowly. “I don’t see why you or Zelda would have any reason to tell me such a tall tale. And I must admit, you do seem different.” 

“You must know Zelda pretty well.” She said.

“Well my father worked for the King all thru my childhood. I was only a boy when you-err Zelda was born. I lived in the castle though, first as a page and then I was trained for knighthood in the castle’s guard. Zelda and I trained in fencing together and became rather like partners. Although she was only eight when they put a sword in her hand and I was fifteen at the time. All the while I was trained by my father in matters concerning the King and one day you. When he passed, I took over his spot. The king told me that I have the same sort of level-headedness as my father and decided to elect me to be an advisor. He passed only last year. 

“I am sorry for your loss.” She told him genuinely. She couldn’t imagine life without her father. 

“Thank you. It was quite unexpected. Something in his heart we think.” He told her.

“How old was the princess when her mother passed?” She asked him. 

“Oh, well, too young to remember her. Only three years old I believe.” He told her.

“That is odd because mine passed about the same time. Right before my third birthday.” Gonzo stared at her enraptured for a moment. Was it some crazy coincidence? Or was it that she was tied to this princess somehow? She looked back at him. She felt uncertain. 

“So, what should we do?” She asked him. He sat thinking for a moment. 

“Well I don’t think we can stop this tour. If what you say is true, we will head to the wasteland cautiously and do what we can to reveal the Gerudo’s plan. Perhaps come to terms with a treaty involving their heir or stop him from being born altogether.” He stood up off the bench and offered her his hand. 

“We can start your fencing training. Although most people believe you already know how to fight so we shall conduct it in secret.” He tucked her hand under his arm seeming more at ease. They walked back to their quarters together guided by torchlight. Noise still rose from the banquet hall and Sheikah men and women still strolled the village together. Azalea caught sight of a soldier in a heated embrace with a Sheikah women near the soldier’s barracks before realizing that it had been Paya and Link. She could make out his striking fair hair with Paya’s hands running through it. Her legs wrapped around his torso had he held her against the barrack’s wall. They kissed fervently and it made Azalea’s cheeks heat. Gonzo had seen them too and quietly and hurriedly led Azalea away. They snuck quietly into the main house laughing. 

Before they parted ways, they stood in the dark hallway. 

“Are you really not her?” He asked her.

“I am not.” She told staring unblinkingly into his eyes. Before she knew it, he had an arm around her waist and a hand in her hair to pull her towards him. He had kissed her long and slow as if he had been waiting for it his whole life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing scenes where we get to have a fun dinner party. I also realized that I love writing romance. I've read so much historical fiction that I find myself writing similar situations that have stuck with me. 
> 
> I knew that Azalea was eventually going to confide in someone. She didn't absolutely have too, but I think it makes the story more interesting. 
> 
> Go Paya and Link!


	8. After ~ The Lost Woods

Zelda, Link, and Mindy with Rinku trailing behind them swam back towards the waterfall. They followed Zelda down the cold cave with her blue flame. Each of their eyes grew wide when she conjured it. She led them to where the great boulders blocked the path. When Zelda pointed out the narrow stairwell, neither of them could see it. When she passed thru it, they both claimed that she had merely walked thru the solid wall. She pulled each of them thru it much to Rinku’s confusion for he couldn’t see past the wall either. 

“It must be some kind of magical barrier.” Mindy inferred. “Perhaps you can see it because of your abilities.” She told Azalea. Link nodded. The four of them quickly descended the stair well finding themselves at the large door. They each took turns trying to force it open but it still wouldn’t budge. 

“I would bet my life that this opens up to the Lake bed temple” Mindy agreed with Zelda. 

“Do you think this where the Zora could be hiding?” Azalea asked Mindy. 

“It could be. But we won’t know for sure until we can open this door.” They considered giving up the trip to Ordon and instead heading back to the University but Link thought that if Zelda could see the hidden passageway, then perhaps there were other mysteries she could see around Hyrule that others wouldn’t be able too. 

So, they made their way back out of the cave and back to the villa. Most of the day was already behind them but if they left within the hour, they would make it to Ordon by nightfall. After washing off the lake water and packing their bags back up, they closed the villa and headed back into town where Link’s car was parked. It was an older SUV with all terrain tires. They all piled in, Mindy in the front with link and Zelda in the back seat with Rinku. After a few minutes of staring down into her lap, she grew accustomed to the motion and was able to look outside and admire the rolling landscape. 

From the lake they drove up a great hillside on the east part of the lake and weaved down a stretch of road that took them across the bridge and back towards the University. At one point they took a turn and passed over the train’s railway before continuing south. Zelda had thought to herself that she had ridden this on horseback but the landscape in her time had had more trees and no stretch of paved road that looked like a black river. 

They reached Ordon just as the sun was beginning to sink below the tree line. Ordon was a decent sized town with cute shops lined the town square. Link drove thru town and into the countryside before stopping at a quaint house that sat in between the forest and a large stable house. Horses grazed in the pasture and a few fruit trees were scattered around the field. 

A young boy was out in the pasture playing with a stick in his hand. He ran for the car when he saw it pull in the drive. When Link got out of the car he bounded to the small boy and gave him a hug. 

“Mindy, Zelda, this is my brother Colin.” He told them. Colin was probably about ten years old. He looked lovingly up at this brother. 

“Brother?” Zelda asked. 

“Adopted brother. The family that took me in ended up having a son of their own many years later.” Colin seemed to be very proud of his big brother and Link felt the same. 

“Where is dad Colin?” 

“He’s in town still. What are you doing back so soon?” 

“Oh well my friends and I are going to go into Faron woods to find the temple.”

“Ooh! Can I come this time? Can I?” Colin pleadingly grasped his hands and bounced on the balls of his feet. 

“Not this time Colin. You know the rules. Once you’re a bit older we can go together.” Link patted him on the back. Colin gave a ‘harrumph’ and wrapped his chubby arms around Rinku’s neck.Then the two went off into the field together. 

“Come on, I’ll show you the house.” Link led them into a two-story stone cottage. It had a large kitchen in the back that opened up to the field and a scrubbed wooden dining table. A couple of comfy well used armchairs sat near a wood stove with a filled bookcase against the wall. There was another room off the kitchen had a computer in it along with a sofa and a tv. 

“The sofa pulls out to a bed. You guys can stay in here for the night if you don’t mind sharing.” They didn’t mind at all. The house was cozy. The air smelled so different here than from the lake. The lake had a crisp smell mingled with a water life smell. Here in Ordon it smelled of dry grass and apple blossoms. Zelda and Mindy put their bags down as Link settled back into his bedroom upstairs. Then they all went out into the stable yard. Zelda was used to traveling by horse and upon seeing the horses in the paddock she felt near home. She climbed over the post fence and slowly walked towards a chestnut bay. It sniffed at her hand before she began rubbing its velvet nose and ran her hand over its back. 

“Do you ever ride them?” She asked Link

“Not all the time but yeah we can ride them.” Zelda followed Link into the farmhouse which doubled as a stable for the horses and a workshop for Link’s father. Heaps of different sized wood was strewn around the warehouse and half-finished projects were scattered around. Zelda needed no guidance in retrieving the saddle and fastening it upon the chestnut bay whose name was Zephyr. 

“Zelda and Zephyr, what a fine match!” Mindy laughed while watching Zelda expertly mount the horse. Zelda rode around the paddock for a time getting the feel of Zephyr. Zelda felt right at home on horseback. Soon an old pickup truck came rolling up to the farmhouse. 

“That’ll be Russel.” Link told Mindy. Russel was the man who had adopted Link. The man that got out of the truck didn’t look all that much older than Link. You could tell he had been working. He had sawdust on his clothes and his work gloves hung from his back pocket. 

“Heya Link!” he strode over picking up Colin and placing him on his shoulders. 

“Hey Rus!” Link gave the man a bear hug. 

“And who’ve you got here?” Hey eyed Mindy with her intimidating tall height and unique coloring. Zelda had slowed Zephyr and walked over to the edge of the paddock. 

“This is Mindy and her friend Zelda. They want me to take them to see the temple in the wood.”

“Zelda you say?” Russel asked with surprise. Zelda dismounted to properly meet Russel. 

“I must say, you have some really fine horses here sir.” She told him. 

“Well it looks like you know your stuff.” He complimented back. 

“A bit, I really appreciate Link here for letting me ride him.” 

“No trouble at all.” Link chimed in. 

“So, what are the group of you wanting to go to the old temple for? Near damn impossible to get too. And downright spooky! I won’t let the kids near the wood at all. Can’t keep Link out of there though.” Russel said accusingly as Link stood there looking sheepish. 

“Oh, we just want to have a good look around. Zelda here is from the University.” Link told Russel as if that explained everything. 

“Well your ma is on her way back from town with Gracie. Once she gets back, we can have supper. When are you off to the wood?” 

“First thing in the morning. Want to get an early start.” Link told him. Zelda led Zephyr back to unsaddled him. Then they all headed into the house. “Hope it’s alright that the girls take the family room for the night.” 

“That’s perfectly fine. Your ma won’t mind. You guys make sure to take some supplies out to the woods with you. Help yourself to the hatchet and such.” Russel’s wife Julie had pulled up the drive and brought their daughter Gracie into the house. Gracie was probably no older than four or five years old and was excited to meet Mindy and Zelda. Despite that Link was adopted into this family, he looked like he belonged. Gracie sat on his knee while he told her all about the lake. Rinku laid under the scrubbed table where Colin sat with Mindy. Zelda had offered to help Julie with supper and was in the kitchen putting a garden salad together. Julie had a pre-made casserole which she placed in the oven. 

Zelda had so seldomly experienced a normal dinner with a normal family. She was accustomed to having her meals prepared and brought to her chambers or in the formal dining room of the castle. She hadn’t really spent much time around small children either. Colin talked on and on about different critters he had seen in the pasture this summer. Mindy egged him on with all sorts of questions about the size, type, and viciousness of the different animals. 

After dinner, the girls hunkered down in the family room for the night. They thought it best to get to bed early so that they could head into the forest early. Link had told them it would probably take most of the day to reach the temple and they wanted to be prepared for whatever they found there. They awoke before the sun had come up and packed a few rucksacks. Russel wanted to make sure they had everything from flashlights and matches to at least one good sized tarp in case they couldn’t make it back to the house before dark. They each had a water flask clipped on their bags. Both girls wore shorts and t-shirts with tennis shoes, Link on the other hand was in some serious hiking gear with heavy duty hiking boots. He assured them that they would do just fine. There had been a brisk air in the morning dawn but Zelda and Mindy started to warm up once they started moving. 

Back behind the house they followed Link and Rinku through the pasture to the edge of the wood. The thin trees all stood close together and the forest floor was covered in different ferns and brush. Zelda could make out a worn game trail that had likely been worn down over time by Link himself. 

“How many times have you been out to the temple?” She asked him. 

“Only the one time actually.” He said. It didn’t reassure Zelda at all. 

“And you’re sure you can find it again?” She asked.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get us there.” He told her fully confident. She had no choice to believe him at this point. They walked along in the forest for about an hour or so. By now the sun was up and they were hot and sticky from the exertion of trekking through the rough terrain. They climbed over fallen trees and passed tall rocks. Zelda tried to memorize every distinct feature she could put her eyes on. If not for the trail Zelda was sure she would have gotten lost, but eventually the trail ended near a small creek that they used to splash the sweat from their faces and necks. 

They crossed the creek and continued on wading through even thicker brush. 

“So why does Russel think these woods are so spooky?” Mindy started. “It doesn’t seem that bad to me.” She gazed up at the rays of sun shining through the leaves making them stand out in bright green. It really was picturesque. 

“Oh, Russel used to hunt in these woods. Sometimes when he would go in too far, he would get lost or get the feeling he was being watched. He never has met anyone though, and somehow he would always find a way home.” 

“Do you ever get that feeling? Like something is in here watching you?” Zelda asked while peering around trees. 

“Well I know that there are other critters in here who probably are watching me. So, I guess it doesn’t bother me as much.” That made sense to Zelda. All the while they walked the three of them asked each other about their families and growing up. Link and Mindy had had a lot in common being close to the same age. Zelda on the other hand amused herself in their reactions to her contributions. They were especially shocked to learn that she had never had a boyfriend before, she could recite the Hyrule Historia almost word for word starting with the goddesses’ creation of the world, and they already knew about her magic but she relayed what other sorceresses in her time were capable of and that her abilities could potentially grow depending on how much she trained and practiced. 

They stopped a few hours into their journey and sat to rest while snacking on jerky and granola bars. Link was right that the forest was beginning to grow dense. Only small bits of sunlight streamed in between the trees and their progress slowed. Zelda could feel a tingling sensation on the back of her neck as if someone was behind her. She turned around abruptly but no one was there. 

“How can you even tell where we are going?” Mindy asked this time sounding apprehensive. 

“I just know the way. Can’t really explain how.” 

“Oh jeez, how do we know he isn’t luring us out here to kill us?” Mindy whispered behind her to Zelda. Zelda was about to reply when she stopped suddenly. She could hear a faint tinkling that sounded like a ringing of a very tiny bell. 

“Did you hear that?” She asked Mindy. 

“Hear what?” She clearly hadn’t heard a thing. 

“There it is again.” It was slight and short but consistent. She stood rooted to the spot trying to determine from where it was coming from. Link, who hadn’t realized they stopped walking had turned around and headed back towards them. Rinku kept them in sight but darted around trees. 

“Something wro-?” but Zelda cut him off with a ‘Shhh’. She started towards the sound and then could make out a distinctive accompaniment of a horn tooting a short melody.

“You two don’t hear that?” She asked them. They both looked at each other and then back at her like she was crazy. Rinku sat considering them. He clearly didn’t hear anything either. 

“We don’t hear anything Zelda.” Mindy said with a worried look. 

“Someone is playing a song nearby. I can hear it.” She stubbornly turned and walked through the woods towards the music. The canopy of trees grew thicker as the trees around them began to change. Instead of the wood of thin trees they entered, these trees had much larger trunks and were much taller. The ground beneath their feet was hidden in thick moss and patches of sweet pea. 

Zelda’s pace grew faster as the music got louder. She could pick up the sound of a fiddle playing along with the horn but just faintly. Soon enough they reached a break in the trees canopy where a golden stream of sunshine shone down on a lone tree stump. The tree that had once stood there must’ve been quite large for Zelda could see two small children stood facing each other. One played the horn and the other the fiddle. However, Zelda noticed that the boy playing the fiddle seemed to hardly be there at all. Zelda could just barely make him out. When she got close enough for him to see her, he and his fiddle had vanished on the spot. The other boy abruptly stopped playing his horn and spun around. When Zelda saw his face, she stopped. This boy had a wooden face and glowing orange eyes. He had a wide leering mouth with pointy teeth and he wore an orange cloak with a pointed orange hat. A great Ivy leaf was secured to his back like a cape and a collection of bones hung around his neck. 

“What is it Zelda?” Link had asked looking around. 

“You can’t see him?” She asked quietly 

“See who?” Mindy whispered. Zelda put a finger to her lips and took a cautious step toward this strange child. 

“I think he is a skull kid?” Zelda proceeded cautiously and dropped into a low curtsy before making eye contact with him. The skull kid laughed delightedly at her show of kindness. 

“We must be careful then. Skull Kids can be tricky.” Link backed away slowly looking all around him. 

“Do you understand me?” Zelda asked the skull kid. His response was to shuffle closer to her. When he looked up into her face, she whistled the tune he had been playing on his horn. The skull kid grew excited and repeated the tune back to her. When he finished, she clapped for him and he gave a bow. 

“Do you think you could show us where the temple is?” She asked him slowly. 

The skull kid reached out his hand in invitation. When Zelda grasped his warm wooden hand there was a jolt between them. Mindy and Link let out a collective gasp! 

“We can see him! How did you do that?” Mindy asked. Link stood transfixed gazing at the little imp. It was if he was being hit with a memory. Rinku edged close to the skull kid to smell him. 

“I don’t think we should trust him.” He told them. The skull kid just laughed and started pulling Zelda through the woods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have introduced yet another Twilight princess character, Rusl and his family. newly named Russel because that makes a lot more sense. I like the idea of this Link being part of a real loving family.   
> -It just feels right. 
> 
> Another recurring thing we will see is Zelda's magical abilities. I researched a lot and tried to pull things from each of the games to add to her abilities. Like in many of the games, at this point her limits are unknown but she is still considered a beginner. I would like to think that her connection to the ancient Hyrule allows her to see, hear, and feel things that the others can't.


	9. Before ~ A pile of rocks

Azalea felt a sort of shock when she laid down in her bed that night. Had that really happened? She had been tempted to follow Gonzo into his bedroom but because she was technically the princess, there was more at stake than if she had been just Azalea. Perhaps the wine had gone to his head and that was all. 

The next morning, breakfast was brought up to her room as she slept in. She dressed in a soft lavender kirtle over leggings and her worn traveling boots. She dawdled a bit, trying to prolong her having to go down and face Gonzo. At long last she descended the staircase to the meeting room where Lyle, Vincent, and Gonzo all sat looking over a map. 

“The Goron will meet us in the quarry before we start to ascend the mountainside. Oh, here you are princess. I hope you enjoyed yourself last night?” It was Vincent who spoke first. 

“Yes! it was a very entertaining evening.” She said without meeting Gonzo’s eye. She could however feel his eyes on her face and focused on the other men to keep from blushing. 

“We were just discussing our journey to the mountain tomorrow. We will spend a night up there in the company of the Goron. I Assure you they look much tougher than they are. Many are very accommodating and they look forward to meeting you.” Vincent continued.

“Well I look forward to meeting them as well.” Azalea never thought in all her years she would actually have a chance to meet one of the legendary Goron. Now she was heading into their mountain to stay for a visit. “May I?” She asked before sitting down. She had pulled out the chair alongside Lyle before anyone could jump up and pull it out for her and looked with great interest over the map. She was adamant about not making direct eye contact with Gonzo. She was glad he hadn’t spilled the beans about her to the other soldiers. 

As the morning went on, it seemed that much of the village slept in after the feast the night before. She didn’t see Sheik until after midday and when Paya came in to serve them lunch she was humming a singsong under her breath and had a spring in her step. Sheik seemed to be nursing a brutal hangover and was in a rather foul mood. When he offered to take Azalea around the rest of town, she had half a mind to refuse him but knew that wouldn’t do. So, she told him she would be happy to and followed him out into the sunshine. 

Sheik introduced Azalea to many of the village’s elders. He also showed her a number of gardens where they grew an assortment of vegetables and behind the village there was a river where they caught fish. There were a few shops including an herbalist, a craftsman that fashioned mostly bows and arrows for hunting, and a trade post where you could find things from all over Hyrule. Azalea was thankful for their silent strolling preferring to take in the exotic plants and greeting the different villagers they met along the way. A few of them had presented her with handmade gifts. One woman presented her with a necklace made of marbled beads and shiny opals. Another family presented her with a small hand painted miniature of some of the common flowers that grew in Kakariko. Azalea thanked them profusely and expressed her gratitude as graciously as she could. Sheik led her along and seemed to enjoy watching her interact with his people. Azalea thought to herself that his hangover must’ve been wearing off.

They made their way back to the Captains quarters as twilight began to settle in around them. Torches were lit along the paths and outside houses. Impa stood at the doorway waiting for them. 

“I hope you two had a lovely time today.” Impa smiled brightly at Azalea.

“We did! Your village has some of the loveliest plants and flowers I have ever seen. And everyone has been so kind.” She looked up at Sheik as she spoke. 

“Well I have spoken to Lyle and Gonzo and it has been settled that Sheik is going to go up the mountain with you and then meet you at Snowpeak where he shall travel with you to meet the Rito.” She regarded Azalea’s reaction very carefully. Azalea was not over enthused but was glad to have him along all the same and said so to the beaming man beside her. 

“Well then I will take my leave of you princess so that I can ready my belongings for traveling.” He kissed her hand gallantly before walking away. 

“I hope this pleases you princess.” Impa told her slowly. 

“It does.” Azalea reassured her. “I look forward to getting to know your son and I thank you for sparing him to travel with me.” She told her genuinely. 

“Dear girl.” Impa quickly embraced Azalea in a lightning quick hug. Azalea’s response had certainly pleased her. 

Azalea entered the Captain’s quarters to find Gonzo sitting with both Pipit and Link relaying their travel plans to the two young soldiers. Both young men were dressed in matching soldier’s garb. Azalea entertained herself by looking over the bookcase that held a number of different books. The library back at the University didn’t even have books that looked as old as these ones. She found a Hylian herbarium and brought it over to the table. One thing that gave her comfort was knowing that this land was the same land she knew. Many of the plants and flowers were the same to her but she was curious how many had gone extinct in between the two years. She sat and read descriptions, signs, and uses for the many plants that had been documented around the mountainous and northern regions. 

This kept her busy until they neared suppertime when Gonzo released the two soldiers and rolled up the map before carefully stowing it away. 

“So,” started Azalea without looking up, “When should we start my training?” She asked him slyly. Gonzo thought for a long moment without speaking. Azalea almost thought he was not going to answer her. 

“I think,” he sat beside her. “once we are up on the mountain, we can have an initial session in private, for you to learn the basics and the footwork. Then we will be able to do much more of the training out in the open. The small company we keep won’t think we are doing anything more than practicing. If anything, we can tell them you haven’t kept it up.” He said with a hint of a smile. 

“Sounds good to me.” She told him nonchalantly. 

After last night’s feast, Azalea was happy when they brought out a simple supper of paella with crusted crostini with cheese spread. A light weak ale was passed around to wash it down before everyone headed to bed early. 

It was very early indeed when Azalea was gently jostled awake by a sleepy Paya. 

“Time to get up I’m afraid princess. The men already have roused themselves and are down eating porridge.” Paya thrusted a bowl of porridge and fresh fruit into Azaleas hands that still felt weak with sleep. Paya laid out one of Azalea’s traveling garments and busied herself with braiding her hair into two tight plaits which she wound in a low bun at the base of her neck. Similarly, to the night of the feast. 

Azalea dressed in brown leather leggings with a white tunic and a brown leather under-bust corset that had a belt for a traveling satchel and a dagger. Everything seemed to be custom fit for her like the clothes she had awoken in. This was the case for everything she had worn so far. From what she found in her trunk she only had a few traveling outfits, the one she had initially woken up in in the forest, the one she wore now, and she had the lavender kirtle along with a blue one just like it. There was also a dressing gown with dressing slippers that didn’t seem very practical. And she had her elegant formal dress that she wore the night of the feast. The clothes she had worn previously must had been washed by Paya or another maid here in Kakariko. 

She threw the comb and mirror along with the few trinkets she received from the villagers into her trunk. She kept on the beaded opal necklace she received. When she went to pick up the small trunk, she found it was made of a very light wood and she could carry it without much difficulty. It was only fashioned to look very ornate and heavy when in truth it was not. 

When she descended the stairs, the men stirred from the table and stood to greet her.

“Are we all ready, then?” She asked Lyle. 

“We are ready to continue on our way princess.” He nodded to her. Her escorts were not wearing the usual Hylian plate armor they had been wearing when they first rode into the village but sleek leather armor with the Hylian crest stitched on the chest. 

They padded outside and walked over to the stables where the horses stood waiting. Azalea’s small trunk had been fastened alongside her saddlebag that carried a canvas tent and an extra waterskin. She saw a sheathed sword there as well. The staff of the captain’s quarters stood outside the building to watch the party mount. Impa embraced her son before he got onto his own black steed. Paya also embraced Link before whispering something in his ear and kissing his cheek before stepping back into line with the rest of the household. She stole a glance at Gonzo who had seen the exchanged and gave Azalea a wink. She did her best to conceal her smile. 

The party rode through the village toward the looming mountains. Many of the villagers came to stand out on their porches or hung out windows to wave farewell to the group. Sheik waved and exclaimed farewells to his people. They turned into a canyon that began to slope upwards past rocky outcrops. There were a number of twists and turns thru the outcroppings the wound them past sheer cliffsides and caverns that looked out over Hyrule. They carried on this way for a couple of hours. Azalea felt sweat on her back and neck as the sun beat down on them. The mountain itself seemed to radiate heat which Sheik explained was because it was in fact still active. That was why there were natural hot springs spread over the eastern part of Hyrule. They eventually came to a dip in the canyon that opened up into a large quarry. It was dusty and hot and Azalea’s water skin was nearly empty. 

In the quarry were half a dozen rocks that looked about as big as Gonzo. As they neared, Azalea realized that they were not rocks at all but were actually Gorons. One thing that struck her was how mean they looked. They had a fine moss like fuzz atop their heads, small black beady eyes, and wide thin lips. They had bulging muscular arms and legs with a variety of diamond shaped tattoos. Past the quarry was a series of steep ledges that continued up the mountainside. A path led down to the mouth of a cave. Gusts of steam were emitting from various cracks in the stones.

“Welcome princess!” the largest of the Goron’s said. Azalea quickly dismounted first before anyone else could help her. 

“Thank you so much!” She wanted to bound up and hug each and every one of them but knew not what their customs were. She dipped into a very low curtsy. In turn she received half a dozen bows. By this time the rest of the troop had dismounted. 

“I am Gor Amoto, one of the Deku elders her.” The largest one addressed the group. “we shall be leading you up the mountainside to meet with our clan leader, Darunia.” Gonzo stayed by Azalea as she learned each of the other five goron’s names. Two of them took the horse’s reigns and led them down the path with the cave. 

“We have a shaded area with a pool where your horses will be housed. They will have fresh water.” Gor Amoto told them.

“Very good. We have brought satchels of grass with us for them to graze on. A pack horse carries our food also.” Lyle pointed out to Gor Amoto.

“We will have it brought up directly. If you would just follow me...” He replied with a friendly smile. Azalea saw that they were a very kind race indeed. He led them around a piling of rocks that hid a passageway. It was a low tunnel that steeped up to a large hot springs pool where a few gorons were soaking in the steaming water. Past the ledge was a beautiful view of Hyrule below. You could see the rolling hills of Hyrule field and the castle beyond that. It was the first time Azalea had seen the castle in all its glory. Even though it was from many leagues away she could see the spires and turrets. She was completely awestruck. 

“Amazing view isn’t it?” Gor Amoto asked her. 

“Breathtaking!” She told him.

“Come there is more to see.” He told her. They followed him back around the tunnel where there was a doorway carved into the rocky cliff face. They found themselves in a large storeroom with what looked to Azalea like an elevator. It was a metal platform on a pulley system. 

“It takes four gorons so it should be able to bring up six hylians just fine.” Gor Amoto motioned for them to get on the platform. He then pulled a lever on the side of the pulley system and the lift began to clank its way upward. Azalea would guess that it took them up ten stories before the lift settled in another store room where another Goron was waiting for them. He welcomed them and led them into a great dome that was carved from within the mountain. The dome was the center of the goron city which was made up of four total floors filled with winding tunnels that led to carved out rooms. Some were small single dwelling rooms where others were large with multiple rooms for families. The elevator had taken them up to the top floor where they could look down and see the tiers of floors below them.

“This is incredible!” It was Pipit who spoke for all of them. They were all absolutely in awe of the structural design and grandness of the city. 

“If you wouldn’t mind following me.” The goron led them through another tunnel with a stairwell that took them down and opened up at each landing. They walked all the way down to the bottom floor. There were great weaved tapestries hanging over a few doorways here. The goron they followed pulled back one of the tapestries and gestured for them to enter a hallway. Lyle led the party down a corridor with pitch torches before it opened up to a large room. Much like the captain’s quarters, this room had a large table but made of stone. 

There were scenes and depictions of Gorons battling a large dragon upon the wall. A thick carpet spread across the floor and at the end of the room was a large thrown like chair made of stone. Sitting in that chair was another large fierce looking goron. 

“Welcome your highness! And welcome travelers to Goron City!” The great goron exclaimed in a rather booming voice. “We are very excited to have you here in our mountain! I am the great Darmani! Wielder of the Megton hammer and chief of the Gorons!”

Azalea bowed graciously and the rest of her company followed suit. 

“Thank you Darmani! We are very excited to be here in your wonderful city.” 

“Please, take a seat and refresh yourselves at my table.” He stepped towards the large stone table. Azalea noted that the table itself had been carved into that very spot along with the many stone stools that stood around it. 

“Marvelous craftsmanship!” She marveled before taking a seat. 

“Ah but you are too kind princess. The gorons live to create! We are constantly building and creating with our beautiful mountain here. Both the city and the temple within the mountain are of our own creation. We continue to add on to both in most impressive ways. You took our very modern pulley lift into the city! Is that correct?” 

“Yes, we did. I must say you are most innovated Darmani.” It was Lyle who spoke. He clearly had great admiration for this gentle giant. He introduced himself as well as Gonzo, Link, and Pipit. 

“And you must be the Sheikah prince” Darmani motioned to Sheik who sat next to Azalea. “We are very happy to have you in the mountain as well.” He said in a friendly matter. 

“Thank you Darmani. This mountain is an important landmark for our village and our continued cooperation keeps both our economies thriving.” Sheik said appreciatively, which Darmani received well and with a thump on Sheiks back like they were old pals. 

“Well then. Please help yourselves.” On the table there were stone mugs and a pitcher of water for them. “The heat here can suck the life out of you. Please rehydrate yourselves with our impeccable spring water!” Azalea found that the water had a slight sulfuric taste but it was cold and felt relieving in the warm mountain. 

“So, Darmani, what has been happening in the mountains lately?” Lyle asked.

“Well we would like to discuss our continued partnership in mining the mountain for rare stones and gems. I also have discovered a new crop of bomb flowers which would interest your fleet. It will help with the mining to be sure.” Darmani started. “And of course, we have rock races as well as wrestling to keep us busy when we aren’t mining.” He winked at the soldiers. 

“What is rock racing Darmani?” Azalea asked with interest.

“Well one of the best ways for gorons to get around is by rolling. When we have breaks in our days of mining some of the braver gorons will race down the mountain for sport.”

“Is it very dangerous?” She continued

“Not at all. The only danger is flying off the mountain itself but the gorons that race know the route well and are aware of which corners to take cautiously” He said reassuringly to Azalea. It did not sound reassuring to her at all. Death by falling off a mountain would probably rank as one of the worser ways to go to her. “We will set up a wrestling match this evening to exhibit some of our best fighters.” Darmani said proudly. Link and Pipit looked at each other mischievously. Sheik, also raised his eyebrows and looked excited to see some goron wrestling. 

“All in good time. But first, I am sure you would like to see your rooms.” Gor Amoto had reappeared and was waiting for them outside Darmani’s room. They followed him back up the stairwell to the next landing where they walked into another opening and down a hallway which separated into three other short passageways before opening up into three quaint rooms lit with torches. Gor Amoto told them that these rooms were for Lyle, Link and Pippit. Each claimed their room before Sheik, Azalea, and Gonzo followed Gor Amoto up another flight to the second landing and down another hallway. They took a couple of turns down adjacent passageways before they finally stopped at the end of a passageway. 

“Princess, we have reserved one of our larger rooms for you per the request we received.” The goron motioned to the doorway hidden behind another tapestry before leading Gonzo and Sheik away to their own rooms. The oversized room held a large stone bed covered in furs. There was another room adjacent to hers that served as a bathroom of sorts. There was a large barrel tub that looked like it had a large tap above it with a small lever. 

“It couldn’t be…” She trailed before pulling the lever. A steady stream of steaming spring water fell from the tap into the barrel tub. There was also a chute to dump waste water. ‘The gorons live a very modern life indeed.’ Azalea thought to herself. She also wondered who had made the request for a larger room. For she had not. Just then she heard a muffled voice from the other side of the tapestry. She pulled it back to find Gonzo and motioned for him to come in. 

“Does your room have running water too?” She asked him. 

“I believe they all do. Very impressive system these gorons have come up with. I hope you don’t mind but I sent a note ahead of us to secure a room big enough for us to start fencing lessons.” He told her. 

“It all makes sense now.” She said back. She was trying hard not to think about the kiss from the other night. This was the first time they had been alone since. “I hope you remember the way out of this labyrinth. I feel I could be stuck in here for days trying to find my way out.”

He laughed, “Yes I can help guide you out. My room is just down from yours so I am capable of helping you in and out if you’d like.” 

“Thank you. I would appreciate that.” She told him kindly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to mirror the exterior of the mountain to TP whereas the interior is from OOT. 
> 
> The Goron City was difficult to put into writing but I hope it all made sense. 
> 
> While writing the different races, I looked over all the mentioned names and tried to select names to fit the character. They aren't always supposed to reflect the exact same individual from the game but rather a representation of them. The only time I really created names was when I was creating a new character. 
> 
> If you haven't picked it up yet, Jed is a descendant of Gonzo and it didn't make sense to give him the same name. Not sure why I went with Jed. I just like the name.


	10. After ~ Hey! Listen!

Zelda continued being pulled through the woods by the little wooden imp. Mindy followed close behind her with Link and Rinku pulling in the rear. The skull kid seemed to know right where to go as they crossed another creek and wound their way through the woods going faster all the while. Zelda was almost running to keep up with the skull kid before coming to a halt at a wall of bamboo. That bamboo did a fair job of disguising a hidden entrance. The skull kid led them through the entrance and the three found themselves standing in a grove of trees. 

“Is this the place Link?” Asked Mindy as they carefully made their way into the structure.

“No this isn’t the same spot I know. The temple has large stone walls covered in ivy.” He sounded apprehensive. What they found in this grove was a raised, grass covered dais with a single sword hilt up stuck in a short stone. 

“No way!” Said Mindy as she saw the sword.

“The Master Sword?” Zelda asked in disbelief. 

“It must be.” As Mindy started to walk towards it, she felt and heard a loud ‘crunch’ under her shoe. She looked down before jumping back quickly with a yell. Bones were strewn all around the pedestal where the sword stood. Just then the skull kid blasted a few short eerie noted on his flute before laughing and vanishing on the spot. 

Just then the bones on the ground began to quake. Link, Zelda, and Mindy all backed away slowly watching the bones in horror. Just then the bones all flew together to make up two full skeletons of what appeared to be large men. They had glowing red eyes like the skull kid and wielded long ivory swords. 

“Stalfos.” Zelda said. 

“What do we do!?” Asked Mindy 

“I am going to try to go for the sword.” Zelda started. “Can you two try to distract them?” 

“I knew I didn’t trust that skull kid.” Link said before hurriedly bending down to scoop up some stones and began throwing them at the two stalfos’. They turned and began pacing towards him. Rinku kept his distance but growled at the two skeletal men advancing towards the others. Zelda skirted around them and went for the sword. When she got to it, she pulled and pulled but it wouldn’t budge. 

“I can’t get it.” She cried out. One of the Stalfos’ turned back and started pursuing her once it realized she was trying to get the sword out. Mindy had followed Link’s lead and began picking up her own rocks to fight off the skeletons. 

“What if Link tries? I mean… he is a Link after all!” Mindy shouted across the way. She made a point to help lure the Stalfos away from Link. Link darted and dashed to the sword. He grasped the hilt and the sword came away from the stone easily. 

“Okay now what?” He asked standing there with the sword in his hand. 

“Fight!” Zelda shouted at him dodging a swipe from the stalfos’ blade. 

“I don’t know how!” He yelled back panicking as the other stalfos came charging at him. 

“oh, for goddesses’ sake.” Zelda said under her breath before sprinting back to Link and taking the sword from him. It was a larger sword then she was used to but she expertly parried the blow from the stalfos before making contact with its scapula. She spun quickly and bent to swipe at its femur. The stalfos toppled over. Zelda sidestepped its attempt to swing at her torso… just barely missing her ribcage before she lopped off its head at the neck. 

Mindy and Link were still holding the other one off before Zelda caught it off guard from behind and lopped it’s head off too. With both Stalfos’ fallen the stood there catching their breaths. 

“Where did you learn to fight like that?” Mindy asked her. 

“I’ve been trained in fencing since I was a little girl.” She replied. “Come on we should get out of here before that Imp comes back to revive his friends. I think we should take this with us.” She inspected the hilt and blade of the master sword. 

“How will we find our way back out of here?” Mindy asked sounding defeated.

“I think I can still get us there.” Link said. “I can’t believe I pulled it out when you couldn’t.” He exclaimed to Zelda.

“Well I would bet that the blood of the hero runs thru your veins Link. Your name isn’t just a coincidence. You should take it.” She handed the sword back to him before picking up one of the skeletal ivory swords. “I will teach you to use it if you want.” She told him. 

“I think we should all learn.” Mindy agreed as she picked up the other sword. They made their way back out of the grove and started back from the direction they came in.   
They had walked for probably another hour in the dense forest before the sun started to disappear and they were cast in a low glow of twilight. 

“Maybe we should set up camp soon.” Zelda said 

“I don’t know how I feel about staying the night in this forest. What if the skull kid comes back?” Mindy asked. 

“Well this time we won’t follow him.” Zelda said back brightly dropping her rucksack at the base of a large tree and pulling out the tarp. Mindy wandered close by picking up firewood as Link and Zelda started to erect the large tarp over some of the trees’ lower branches. Link constructed a fire pit in which Mindy built a fire. Zelda conjured up another small ball of flame to light it. They sat and ate the rest of their provisions around the fire before Zelda stood up and started leading the other two in basic fencing instructions. They slept in shifts assuring that someone stayed awake to keep an eye out and keep the fire going. 

When it was Zelda’s turn to keep watch Mindy and Link slept huddled together. Rinku slept at Zelda’s side as she petted his head. All of a sudden Zelda could hear the tinkling of bells again. 

“Not this time Skull kid. You won’t catch us unawares again.” She said to herself. She eyed the master sword laying by her side. She sat with her back to the tree and drew her legs up so her chin sat atop her knees as she peered out into the dark forest. Bushes rustled in the warm gusts of wind and she could hear the tinkling move farther away before getting closer again. Soon enough she sat up and grabbed the sword as it sounded very close. The other two sat sleeping undisturbed. Rinku was awake now and watching Zelda closely. As the tinkling sounded again the little boy who had been playing the fiddle with the skull kid walked into view. He had a misty pallor about him that made Zelda think he could have been a ghost. He wore an elvish green tunic with a familiar symbol on the front and had a permanent look of amusement on his face.\

When the boy spotted her, he waved to her and strolled casually over to their campsite. 

“Not so fast!” She told him. “Your friend led us into a trap earlier and I am not inclined to trust you.”

“You have nothing to fear from me your highness. And you mustn’t blame the skull kid. He doesn’t know any better. Doesn’t trust Hylians like yourself.” He told her sitting some distance away.   
Zelda lowered the sword. “You called me highness.” She stated.

“Well you are the princess.” He stated back bluntly. 

“Who are you?” She asked him. 

“My name is Fado. Kokiri spirit of the forest.” He told her with a smile. 

“And how do you know I am the princess?” She asked him. 

“Ah well I’ve seen your likeness. Before I became a spirit, the Kokiri, myself included, were advised by the great Deku Tree to help aide the princess if we were to ever meet her. He also told us that the boy would be back for the sword but that was centuries ago. We never once thought it would have taken him this long.” He said motioning towards Link. 

“It wasn’t our intention to find the sword. We were looking for the temple of time when we came across you and the skull kid. And then it was he who led us to the sword.” She told him. 

“The Temple of Time? What are you looking for there?” He asked her. She went on telling Fado about her predicament to Fado. He sat soaking it all in curiously. 

“Traveled thru time you say?” He asked her. She nodded back.

“Well yes that does happen from time to time but not without purpose. There must be a reason it happened.” He told her. “and here I was thinking you had aged so splendidly.” He looked at her mischievously. 

“I’m afraid not.” She laughed. 

“Well you may find answers there. Probably not answers to the questions you seek but answers all the same.” He told her cryptically. “You may find this useful when you get there.” He handed her a shining green emerald the size of an acorn. 

“Thank you… it’s beautiful. Would you be able to lead us to the temple at first light?” She asked him.

“Such little faith in your hero?” He asked her back lightly looking at the sleeping Link.

“Well no… but we have run out of provisions and I think we should be quick about returning back to Ordon.” She told him. 

“He knows the way. He will get you there in good time.” Fado told her reassuringly. “If you head east towards the sun from here you will meet a grove of apple trees.” He pointed in the right direction. 

“Thank you Fado.” She told him.

“My pleasure your highness. I will continue keeping an eye on the lot of you.” He told her before standing up and disappearing into the forest again. 

When Link and Mindy awoke Zelda filled them in on her exchange with Fado. They proceeded to pack up camp and head east where they found the grove of apple trees. Fully confident now she followed Link through the forest. It was within the first few hours of the journey that they found themselves looking up at an impressive stone temple. The roof was almost completely gone but most of the four walls still stood laden with moss and covered in tangles of ivy. Grass grew up in between the stones making the temple look very wild. 

They proceeded into the grounds cautiously with swords in hand. 

“Do you see anything out of the ordinary?” Mindy asked Zelda as they carefully made their way into the temple. 

“Not yet.” She said as she moved her hand over the stone walls. Mindy started mimicking Zelda moving her hand across the wall from the other side of the temple. Link on the other hand stood in the center of the temple’s floors and was walking around with his eyes on the floor. After a few minutes it was Link that spoke first.

“I think there is something here.” He said. The other two came to investigate it with him they found a pattern on the floor. Within the flagstones there were three stones that has symbols carved on them and gave way when stepped on almost like a switch. 

“Everybody should stand on one of them.” Zelda suggested. Once they were all in place, they stood making a triangle. Nothing happened.

“Is that too obvious?” Link asked.

“Wait the symbols mean something.” Mindy said. She bent close to examine them. 

“One of these symbols was on Fado’s tunic when I spoke to him last night.” It was a looping semicircle with a tail. 

“And this symbol was on the door underneath the lake.” One of the symbols looked like three connected crescent moons making a triangle in the middle. The third symbol was a small diamond with three triangles atop it looking like a crown. 

“They are crests.” Zelda determined. “for the races probably.” 

“So, we need someone from each race to stand on them? That isn’t going to happen anytime soon.” Said Mindy. 

“No. I don’t think so. Maybe we should spread out and see if we can find anything else with the symbols on it.” Zelda told them thinking hard. They continued searching around the temple for any other signs. Link went outside the temple and started searching around outside. Not long after Mindy and Zelda heard a crash outside. 

“Whoops,” Link had stumbled upon a clay pot which he had picked up to inspect and accidently dropped it. When he did it had broken open to reveal a ruby that was roughly the size of an acorn. Just then Zelda pulled the emerald from out of her rucksack. They were exactly the same size. 

“A sapphire… that’s it! There must be a sapphire around here somewhere.” Zelda told them. Mindy went back into the temple to turn over loose stones while Link continued to search around outside. Zelda racked her brain for more clues… if the green emerald that Fado gave her paired with the crest symbol on his tunic than surely a sapphire stone would pair with the symbol on the lake bed door. Which means that the Ruby paired with the diamond shaped symbol. She walked the perimeter of the temple before catching sight of a small pond not far from the temple. If it was a Zora stone she was after then her best guess would be in a body of water. 

She stripped her socks and shoes and waded into the shallow pond. It only reached to her thighs but the hem of her shirt got damp as she plunged her arms into the water to feel along the muddy bottom. She felt with her hands and her feet and she scuttled around in the pond. At long last she felt it. Like she had stepped on a large hard rock. She pulled out the muddy little sapphire. She grabbed her shoes and ran back to the temple. 

Once all of the gems were in their respective stones, they could hear a series of loud clicking sounds beneath the floor. A trap door opened up on the far side of the temple’s floor. It led down another stone staircase. Zelda had conjured up a flame as the other two brandished their flashlights. When they descended the stairs, they found themselves in a dusty cavernous room with a shallow pool of water. Zelda, already shoeless took a hesitant step into the water. Just as she did a light began to shine on the floor of the pool. At the same time, a symbol on the back of her left hand began to glow brightly. The shine was so bright that the other two shielded their eyes. All at once the light burned out but the torches that stood behind them were ignited. They revealed a beautiful fairy standing in the pool. 

Zelda quickly backed away, stepping out of the pool. The fairy wore a pure white dress hanging from her shoulder. The material was very thin and see through. Mindy had to jam an elbow into Link’s ribs to keep him from gawking at her. 

“Welcome Princess Zelda. My name is Navi and I am one of the great fairies of Hyrule.” 

“Hello Navi, can you help me get back to my time?” 

“The key to time is the power you wield. You must harness the power to travel in time.” 

“I don’t know what that means.” Zelda pleaded with her. 

“The flow of time can be cruel. It is different for each person but no on can change it. Something that doesn’t change with time are the memories we carry with us.” 

“I think it’s a riddle.” Link said. 

“Well it’s a very frustrating riddle.” Mindy said brashly while glaring at the fairy. Navi only smiled back mischievously before standing up and walking towards them. 

“You each have a part to play.” She started while grasping both of Zelda’s hands. “The passion of friendship will bloom into a righteous power, through it, you will know which way to go.” 

She let go of Zelda’s hands before moving to Mindy and putting her hands upon her shoulders. Mindy felt a chill go through her. “A childish mind will turn to noble ambition. A clear water’s surface reflects growth. You can be drawn into infinite darkness that absorbs even time.” 

Mindy made a face and wasn’t sure how to take that. Navi moved on to Link and reached her hands up to cup his face. “Time passes, people move. Like a river’s flow, it never ends. Young love will become deep affection. The master sword is a ship with which you can sail up and down through time’s river.” She held his gaze for a moment staring hungrily into his eye. Very lightly she put her lips to his and held him there for a long moment. 

When they broke apart, she had a tear escaping down her cheek leaving a rivulet on her pale skin. He looked completely awestruck. Mindy in turn, looked absolutely horrified. Zelda stared in amazement while playing back the words that Navi had spoken. 

“I wish you luck.” Navi said before stepping back into the fountain and vanishing altogether. 

After a long-stunned silence, it was Mindy that spoke first. “Well that wasn’t helpful!” 

“Fado was right. They weren’t the answers I was looking for.” Zelda said. Link hadn’t said anything. He just stood there looking stunned watching the spot that Navi had disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was my favorite chapter to write thus far. Lots of big things happening. 
> 
> Writing the Stalfos battle was tricky, I don't read a ton of action but I tried to keep it realistic to the people in the story. 
> 
> The Master Sword has been found and will be a helpful tool in their journey. 
> 
> You can't get into the Temple of Time without the spiritual stones right? 
> 
> Navi. I had to throw her in there somehow with some words of wisdom. Did they sound familiar?
> 
> Adding Fado was big for me. Wind Waker was a big game for me and I probably spent more hours on that game than any of the others. I loved his character and knew he needed to be a part of the Lost Woods. 
> 
> I haven't decided yet but I would like Fado to come back at some point in the story.


End file.
